Of Blood and Beauty
by AceOfHearts848
Summary: Will she sacrifice the Empire in the name of a petty dream? Will she sell out one of the most powerful men in Cyrodiil? Will choose to become a god? Will consist of three main parts, summary inside.
1. Lady Karja

AUTHORS NOTE: This story strays a bit off of the path of the main Oblivion quest, my character finds her own ways of solving the Oblivion Crisis and yadda yadda, anyways. I hope you like it.

_Part One Summary: _

After six months of being gone, the citizens of the Shivering Isles trick their Lord into returning to end a dispute between two rival blacksmiths. After being educated by her Chamberlain on the Oblivion gates in Cyrodiil, with the help of her chamberlain and the aid of another Deadric Prince, Karja follows a path that the Emperor did not set before her.

**The Madgod's two Halves **

_Pt. One_ - _God in Training_

Chapter One: Lady Karja

"I'm almost out of lockpicks" Karja whispered as she heard her lockpick snap as a tumbler came down upon it like a death sentence.

"Perhaps those bandits had some on them" said Keen, her summoned Dark Seducer guard.

"Maybe" Karja said looking over her shoulder at two bandits her and Keen had wasted and left to be rat food. "Could you check them please?"

"Yes, my Lord" Keen walked over as Karja attempted the bolt on the large wooden door with another pick, it snapped in half just as quickly as the other one had.

"How much time would you say you have left?" she asked as Keen searched the pockets and bags of the two dead cave-dwellers.

"Three hours" Keen replied. She rose from the bodies and handed Karja what she had found. A silver dagger, three lockpicks, and a healing potion.

"Thank god" Karja whispered reaching for the potion. "I'm all out of potions _and _ingredients" she popped the stopper off of the bottle and chugged the potion down.

"Your wounds aren't bad, you should have saved it for later" Keen suggested, she took one of the lockpicks and decided give it her own attempt. Karja sat down against the greenish rock of the cavern crossing her legs.

"Are you hurt at all?" she asked. Keen shook her head.

"Well…just in case" Karja conjured a bright blue orb of light into her hand and pressed it into Keen's shoulder, her body sparkled a bit before returning to it's normal image.

"Thank you my Lord" Keen said as she worked with the lock.

"You really don't have to call me your Lord…I'm really not, I'm sure Sheogorath will return to the Isles and reclaim the throne, aren't I just a stand-in for right now?"

"No, Karja, Sheogorath…" she let out a grunt and made a tricky maneuver with the lockpick and the lock clicked open. She turned the Karja. "is gone, he and Jyggalag were the same person, when you killed Jyggalag you killed him"

"…but saved the isles" Karja repeated sadly, she and Keen had had this conversation before many times. Karja stood up and opened the door, peering in carefully to make sure there wasn't anyone or anything in there.

"I can't see" she whispered. Keen knelt down and rummaged through Karja's bag on the floor. "There are two Night-eyes and one life detect" she told the Dunmer standing above her.

"That's all the potions I have left?" Karja whispered.

"Correct" Keen replied handing her the potions. "But I'm sure if there were something in there they would have heard us." Karja took a sip and squinted as she felt her eyes tingle, she started to make out shapes and forms within the room, which was not at all big. There was a rough rock wall and a raised carved platform in the center where a green glass coffin lay. She could almost make out the form inside. She took a sip of life detector potion.

"There it is" she whispered, talking another sip. She drew her fang from the sheath at her side; the gem in the handle was red, the sword had different effects depending on whether the sun was out or not.

"It's morning" Karja noted stepping into the room, the night eye was in full effect and she could see things just as clearly as if it were daytime, but with a rather green tint to them. She walked cautiously toward the coffin, Keen walking closely behind her brandishing her war axe. Before nearing the coffin, Karja took a good look around the room to make sure nothing was hiding anywhere, she'd often run into hidden traps and secret hiding places before in caverns. The potion wasn't showing anything alive nor undead in the cave. She sheathed the fang and hurried over to the coffin.

"Help me" she whispered slipping her fingers under the glass cover of the coffin, Keen lifted at the other end and together they slowly lowered the lid to the rocky ground, Karja looked inside at the glass skeleton, legend said the elf which the skeleton belonged to had been struck by lightning, and his skeleton turned to glass, he was put in a glass coffin and hidden away in this backwater cave. She hesitated then reached down toward the skull, detached it from the rest of the body and tucked it under her arm.

"Let's go" she whispered walking toward the door, Keen followed her quietly and together they exited the room.

"Hmmmm" S'krivva hummed examining the glass skull. As if Karja had simply made one and given her a fake. "That was quick"

"There were only two bandits inside the caverns…I thought there would be more of a guard…then again, the door was locked tightly, maybe they'd never even been able to get in there themselves."

"Did Keen open the door for you?" S'krivva guessed, pawing gently at the top of the skull.

"No, Keen's been in the Isles, I can't summon her again until midnight tonight"

"Harla?" the Khajiit woman interrogated.

"She can't pick locks very well…and Drem…well, he's not very intelligent" she laughed. S'krivva smiled looking at the glass skull and set it down on the counter before her. She arose from her stool and walked over to a drawer in the sitting room. Karja followed her.

"Well, whether or not you had outside help doesn't matter Karja, you got the skull so here's your reward" She handed her a small leather sack of 300 septims.

"Thank you very much" Karja responded gratefully. "I'll be at the Lonely Suitor if you have anymore assignments"

Karja locked the door to her room at the Lodge and turned toward a mirror leaning against the wall, her horse riding pants and a baggy cloth tunic were all she had on, she looked over at the dresser, which had her madgod regalia sitting on top of it, various things were spread about her room, four quivers filled with arrows were laid out on the floor at the foot of her bed, three bows, two of which had snapped strings leaned against the walls, her fang, golden longsword, various other blades and a worn staff were leaning against the wall. The fang had various nicks and scratches on it and the longsword's blade seemed to be bent at slight angle, not to mention her two unusable bows. It was time for a trip to the smith, everything else she could repair herself, it was the magic weapons she hadn't mastered yet.

She sighed walking over to the small dresser and pulled the long purple and golden dress off, and held it out before her, she walked to the mirror on the other side of the room and held it close to her body, to see what she might look like in it, her bright red hair stood out among the outfit, then again her hair stood out among _anything._ She sighed and laid it down on the bed. She walked to the window and peered out at the lake where the door to the isles still glowed in the distance, she had demanded a room with a view of the lake. She was quite overdo for a visit, Haskill had recommended that she return there once every two months, it had been six. She hadn't gone back since she'd killed Jyggalag. She sighed and collapsed on the weak mattress. She closed her eyes, exhausted. Her thoughts were revolving around the Isles, and someone important she'd left there. On top of that the Amulet of Kings still sat in her large traveling sack on the floor, she'd yet to visit Weynon Priory. She'd gone as far as Chorrol before she'd had a terrifying dream; she had forgotten most of it except a fraction of a message that was given to her during the dream: _If you return the Amulet of Kings it will fall… _

Something was trying to tell her not to return the amulet? She had no idea what the dream had meant, but she hadn't gone near Chorrol or Weynon Priory since then, which was about a year ago. It had been a whole three years since the emperor died, meaning before she even had the dream she'd been putting it off for at least two years. Besides the siege at Kvatch, Cyrodiil seemed to be doing fine.

Karja had been 13 when she stole a whole 3000 gold off a guard who had been sleeping on duty. Her parents were both dead so she was an orphan, she needed a way to get by. She'd spent two years in jail before she escaped with the emperor and he had given her the Amulet of Kings. By then she was old enough to join certain factions, the fighter's guild was her first stop, and there she got training in combat and rewards of gold and weapons for each successful mission. Possessing the amulet seemed to give her extreme good luck, so she was afraid of letting it go. But her guilt got to her more than the luck did and eventually she headed off for Chorrol to return it, on the way she'd had that horrifying dream. Soon afterwards, the door to the Shivering Isles opened. She couldn't contain her curiosity and braved whatever was beyond the great mass of pure light. She'd spent two years there, saved an entire realm and became a Deadric Princess. It'd been half a year since she'd left the Isles, she'd joined another faction, the Dark Brotherhood, and was occasionally taking on jobs for her old Thieves Guild steward, S'krivva, who had become somewhat of a mother figure to her. She was occasionally called upon due to an overwhelming amount of requests and a dwindling amount of thieves.

2

Karja held all her broken weapons in her arms and held them out to the smith in Bravil, who let out a stressful sigh.

"I hope you weren't planning on going anywhere soon" the smith told her. "This will take awhile"

"No, I can stay in town…how much do you estimate that will be?" the smith took the weapons from her and laid them out on a nearby table, he examined them carefully.

"Well…I'd say about three hundred septims for each sword, and about 150 for each bow…so lets see that's…900 septims"

"Including recharging?" she asked.

"One thousand and fifty including recharging"

"Dammit" she swore. "That was my horse money"

"Thought you had a horse?" he asked leaning against the table.

"I do but, she hasn't been doing well…she was old to begin with that's why she was so cheap, but she's been in a lot of battles, I was going to give her to the mages guild in Skingrad, that way the stables wouldn't kill her and maybe they'd be able to work a little magic on the poor old thing…"

"And you need to get your weapons repaired" the smith told her. "You'll be fine without a horse for a little bit, but I worry about you going out and doing – whatever it is you need these beasts for" he gestured toward the swords and bows. Karja nodded, and thought for a moment.

"Alright, fix them up" she told him. "I guess I can stick with my current horse for now"

The townspeople did not take kindly to the tall and monstrous Drem, the Flesh Atronach, and the dark and mysterious Keen, who talked to no one besides Karja made them hardly more comfortable, so Karja only summoned them outside of city gates. Currently, Karja walked toward the Bravil city gates, with two large leather sacks in her arms, the Golden Saint Harla next to her carrying a couple of sacks herself. Her bright appearance and better attitude was more welcoming to the town.

"I can't take Lotus on many more trips" she confided to the stoic saint walking along side her. The smith had just finished with the repairs, so she was now going to take a trip to Cheydinhal

"You could always walk" Harla suggested in her echoing voice.

"I have assignments I need to get done quickly, walking will take too long" Karja reminded her guard. They reached the city gate and the guard pulled open the door for her, she thanked him and walked through, her eyes set on the stables down the road.

"You have plenty of gold in the Isles" Harla reminded her as they traveled down the dirt road. "An unlimited amount"

"I know" Karja responded, her voice hesitant, as if going back to the isles was a last resort.

"And Haskill is getting angry"

"Is he?"

"He believes you've abandoned us" Harla informed.

"That isn't true!" Karja exclaimed. "How could I abandon the Isles? I just want to spend some time here for awhile"

"Making a visit wouldn't hurt, and besides, I thought there was someone –"

"Please, Harla, I'll go back to the Isles when I'm ready"

"You don't want to face him" Harla accused. Karja hitched her bag up onto her shoulder.

"You're being out of line" She told the golden figure as they reached the stables.

"You only say that when I bring up a topic your afraid of" Harla said. Karja ignored her, and approached an Altmer sitting on the porch of the main stable house.

"Ah" the woman said standing up. "I got your message, Lotus is saddled to your specifications, I trust you plan on making a trip?"

"Yes" Karja replied as Harla left her side to open the corral and pack up the saddle bags with Karja's belongings.

"To where?" the woman asked, Altmer had no qualms about sticking their noses into other peoples business.

"Cheydinhal" she answered walking into the corral to help Harla transfer everything onto the horses saddle bags.

"What sends you all the way to Cheydinhal?" the woman asked following her.

"Trade" lied Karja. "There's a particular item I'm looking for, Bravil doesn't have it, and neither does the Market District"

"What would that be?" poked the Altmer.

"You ask too many questions, Altmer" Karja informed the nosy elf. She sheathed two swords into the saddle and hopped on. Harla finished packing the rest of the items.

"Will that be all, my Lord?" Karja nodded and Harla faded from view.

"Have a good trip" the Altmer said, her arms crossed tightly, offended by Karja's remark.

Lotus whinnied as a troll lumbered onto the path before them, it charged at them and Karja pulled a bow from her back and knocked an arrow, she aimed carefully and let the arrow fly, it caught the troll right in the forehead and the beast jerked backward and lay dead on the trail, Lotus and Karja rode on by as if nothing had happened. The moon was high above their heads illuminating the landscape around them, Cheydinhal drew nearer, they'd been traveling all day and Karja had expected to make it there by at least midnight.

Karja stopped Lotus for awhile so the horse could rest and she could search the area for potion ingredients, picking them herself saved the trouble of buying them and having to haggle with tricky store proprietors, since she was young, many of them thought they could outsmart a couple extra septims off of her, they were poorly mistaken. Her mentors, especially S'krivva, had taught her more than just expert thievery and combat but good mercantilism as well. Not only could she make excellent potions but she could sell them for exactly what they were worth, and right now she needed the extra money, she only had about 2000 gold left, about three thousand shy of the amount she'd need to by the horse she had her eyes set upon, not to mention inn and food expenses.

Once her bag was full she tied it to her belt and hopped back onto Lotus, and headed for Cheydinhal.

After stabling the horse she took one of the saddle bags off and slung it over her shoulder and headed toward for the city gate. The guard was sleeping on duty so she muscled the door open herself. She walked down the nearly citizen-less path to the Inn, where she pulled open the door and stepped in, closing it quietly behind her.

"Karja, I haven't seen you here in awhile" the proprietor yawned getting up from his chair. Karja fumbled around in her back and pulled out twenty gold.

"Just a room for the night" she told him.

"You know where to go" he yawned accepting the money and sitting back down. Karja nodded and walked up the stairs toward the vacant rooms at the Inn. She pushed open the unlocked door and closed it gently behind her. She set the giant saddle bag onto the bed and opened it up, she pulled out a set of black, leather armor with a dark read hood, she removed her blue laced shirt and pulled on the top of the shrouded armor, as soon as she put it on she could feel it's enchantment effect her body. Once she had the whole suit on she pounded her feet into the boots and laced them up. She then rummaged through her bag a little more and pulled out a small ebony ring and slipped it on her finger, to her own eyes she remained partially visible, but to everyone else she was almost completely unnoticeable unless she made sudden movements. She checked to make sure everything was in place and then re-shouldered her bow and sheathed the fang, the gigantic gem in the middle of the hilt was glowing blue now. Karja walked to the window and opened it, she poked her head out and searched the area before hopping out and landing nimbly on the ground. She stood and swept the area once more with her eyes before walking around the corner of the lodge and making her way down the street. She arrived at an old abandoned house. She took another paranoid look around the area before slipping into the back yard and pulling a key out of a side pocket on her armor. She walked over to a tattered looking old way and peered inside, it appeared as though the last person in had left it unlocked so she pocketed her key and lifted the grate, she held it up with one hand and lowered herself into the well, making sure her feet properly found the right steps, she slowly lowered the grate and began descending the ladder.

--

Picture of Karja battling an imp on my DeviantART, link in my profile


	2. The gatekeeper

_I walked up the stone staircase; the towering, lumbering, sickly looking gatekeeper awaited me. My patience was being tried, as there were another group of hopefuls standing in my way. _

"_Get out of the way" I ordered. One of the adventurers, a Nord, turned to face me. _

"You're _going to kill it?" he laughed. _

"_I have the right kind of weapon, you do not" I argued. The Nord simply chuckled and turned the other way. _

"_Listen to me!" I exclaimed. _

"_Camori" the Nord said. A blonde Altmer knocked his bow with a silver arrow. _

"_STOP!" I yelled. "You have to use a special kind of arr-" the elf had let the arrow fly before I could finish my sentence and the next thing I knew the gatekeeper was charging for the poor doomed elf. I'm not sure why but I threw myself in front of him and thrust out my Silver longsword, it pierced the gatekeepers belly and he stumbled backwards, I let go of the sword, keeping it inside the beast and pulled my bow from my back as the other adventures staggered back in terror, I knocked an arrow made from gatekeeper bones and aimed, too slow - the monsters gigantic arm swung in an arc and hit me in the shoulder, the ground abandoned me for a few seconds before it came brutally crashing into the entire left side of my body, something sharp was piercing my right shoulder blade. Scrambling, I knocked another arrow and fired sloppily in the general direction of the gatekeeper, it hit him in the arm and he roared angrily. _

"_Get up, get up!" The elf named Camori seized my arm and hauled me to my feet. _

"_Get away!" I ordered, firing another arrow. The gatekeeper stomped across the ground and flung Camori and I down the staircase with one easy swoop. Dazed, I sat up and looked as the gatekeeper, assuming we were dead – walked in the other direction. I tried to knock another arrow, but my vision was blurry and incoherent and there was a searing pain in the back of my head. I attempted to get to my feet anyways, the elf next to me was lying still, there was a dent in his cuirass and blood was pouring out from underneath it…the cracked iron must have sliced his skin open. I fell to my knees, my balance had not returned yet. I crawled over to the body of Camori and started searching for anything useful, I pried the cuirass off of him and I found a tiny bottle of healing potion tucked in a small sack attached to his armor, I uncapped it and gulped it down in one swig. I turned, not daring to return to my feet and crept up the staircase, nearly crawling on my stomach, whatever was in my back had been shoved in deeper by my trip down the staircase. I reached the top step. Laying on my stomach, I knocked yet another arrow made of gatekeeper bones and aimed for it's head. I fired. A terrible and echoing roar filled the entire Fringe as the monster fell to his knees, twitching and writhing in agony, grasping for the arrow piercing it's skull, I fired another one out of sympathy for the suffering creature and it finally fell dead onto the bone covered floor of the gates of madness. I took a deep breath, gasping as my shoulder throbbed. Crawling onto the landing of the gates I reached back and grabbed the spike in my shoulder, I was guessing it had come off the giant serrated blade attached to the gatekeepers arm. _

"_Ahhh" I groaned, and let go. _

"_Let me get that for you" someone spoke. I turned around, Camori stood behind me clutching his ribs. _

"_By the nine I thought you were dead!" I gasped staring at his wound. "I didn't mean to take your potion or anything – I know a spell, let me heal you!" _

"_Let me get that out of your back first" he said lowering himself to the ground behind me. He grabbed the spike and placed another hand on my back, then forcefully yanked it out, I heard screaming and I assumed that it was me, I folded over in agony and gasped for air. I placed my hand on my shoulder and sent a burst of healing magic down my back, the pain subsided, and I could breathe again. I turned to Camori, who was grimacing and holding his ribs as he knelt on the ground. _

"_Move your hands" I ordered, he moved them away and I laid my entire palm on his ribs and his body glowed white for a second and then he let out a sigh of relief. _

"_Thank you" he said. "That was quite a fall…surprised you didn't die…you're wearing nothing but chainmail" _

"_I've taken worse falls in no armor at all" I told him, getting to my feet. He arose and followed me over to the gatekeeper, where I searched for the keys to the Shivering Isles, I pulled them out of a small leather pocket, they were both on the same ring – one leading to Mania and the other to Dementia. _

"_What is your name?" Camori asked me. I turned to him holding the keys at my side. _

"_Karja" _

"_Sounds like more like a Kajiit name" he commented. _

"_Elsweyr is where I was born" I explained, pocketing the keys and walking back toward the staircase at the bottom of which was the rest of my belongings. "I was named after my mother's friend"_

"_Why did you come here?" he asked me. _

"_Curiosity" I answered simply. "Anyways…who are you?" _

"_Camori Mitianci" he told me. "I'm from Skyrim" _

"_So you weren't born in this place…I thought you acted a bit more sane than the rest of them" I hauled my sack off of the ground and picked up my glass sword and sheathed it at my side. _

"_You're really…going in there" he said turning his back to me and looking at the gates. _

"_You can come too" I offered, walking past him and heading back up the stairs. "I mean…you did help me defeat him…letting me steal your potion and all" I looked back down at him. _

"_But…you killed the gatekeeper, it will probably only let you in" _

"_By my logic if hadn't have been for that potion, which was yours, I wouldn't have killed the gatekeeper – so you helped – we should both be able to go in"_


	3. Decieving the Princess

Please pardon some of my ignorance, I can't remember ALL the names of Inn proprietors and such, and I can't go on the Xbox and check cause my brother only allows me to play it every so often, so some of the characters might differ from the game characters, I try to keep the races the same but a lot of names might be different cause I can't remember everyone.

* * *

Once she reached the bottom she entered a large stone sanctuary through a small hole in the well wall. A few brotherhood members greeted her kindly and she returned the greeting. She began her way down the old stone halls, walking past a lanky skeleton brandishing a deadly looking glass axe. She entered a dimly lit room where an Argonian was sitting reading a book and eating an orange.

"Sister Ocheeva" Karja greeted, Ocheeva looked up with a welcoming smile.

"You desire work, do you?" she asked.

"I need gold" admitted Karja. "I just got all my weapons repaired and recharged"

"Why bother going to a smith?" Ocheeva asked with a hint of distaste in her voice "Just raid some Aylied ruins and get some Varla stones – they have enough power to recharge at least twenty weapons"

"I would but – the ruins are dangerous"

"Too dangerous for even you?" Ocheeva laughed. She bit an orange wedge in half and swallowed it without chewing. "What's the matter, scared of a couple zombies?"

"It's not the creatures" she told Ocheeva "It's the traps; I've barely escaped with my life one too many times"

"Understandable" concluded Ocheeva; "I was caught in a gas chamber once…made me all the more grateful of my Argonian Blood" she reached across the table for a piece of parchment.

"This" she told Karja "Should not be too hard, a man sent us a request to kill his elder brother, something about family fortune and whatnot – but that doesn't matter, kill him, come back and I'll give you your reward"

"No bonus?" Karja asked with a hint of disappointment.

"This was a very cut and dry request, he wants him dead, doesn't care how it's done, doesn't care who sees" Karja looked concerned for a minute.

"That's very strange" she finally said. "But…mark the location on my map" Karja fumbled in her pockets for her map and then pulled it out.

"Alright" Ocheeva said dipping a quill in ink. "This is a redguard in Bravil by the name of Luthor Shay, he's staying at the Lonely Suitor Lodge, he'll give you information once you get there and talk to him"

Karja was very annoyed at having to go all the way back to Bravil when that was where she had just come from, but she accepted the contract without hesitation.

* * *

"You look awful" said the Orc receptionist she and many others had nicknamed 'Grubbo', for they find it too annoying to say his whole name: Aribik Lnach Grubok. Karja walked in, soaked from head to foot due to an awful storm that had plagued most of her journey from Cheydinhal.

"Yeah, it rained…almost all the way here" she removed the hood from her head and shook her hair out, it was currently pinned and tied up, strands fell loosely around her head.

"Why are you back so soon?" he asked

"I got a message that somebody came here looking for me…a Luthor Shay?" Karja asked. The Orc's eyes lit up as he remembered something.

"Ah yes, he's upstairs in the room that you usually take, I tried persuading him into taking another room but he refused anything but a lake view room – I'm really sorry Karja"

"Oh it's fine" Karja said laying 20 gold on the table. "I'll take the next best one; I just need to get changed"

"Of course, the one right across the hall is free"

* * *

Karja pulled on a red shirt and a long blue skirt, it was the only attire she had besides her shrouded armor, which was soaked and dirty. She knew she wouldn't look like much of an assassin in these clothes but she'd spent a little more time in that soaking wet leather armor than she would have liked. She picked up her bow and started toward the door

When she knocked on Luthor's door, there wasn't a reply. So she knocked a little harder, not caring if the man was asleep or not, she wasn't going to wait.

"Come in" the voice of a very confident sounding redguard came through the door. Karja suddenly had the feeling that opening this door was a bad idea; in fact the feeling was so potent that she took a step back from the door. Why was this voice bothering her? She recognized this apprehension, it was the same feeling she had about taking the Amulet back, she knew there would a be a change in something. She got herself together, knowing that it was just an assignment, and assignments usually resulted in gold. She grabbed the door handle and pushed it open.

"It is about time you got here…Lord" the redguard's back was facing her, he was staring out the window at the sun setting on the lake. It took at least an entire second for Karja to register what the redguard had called her. She opened her mouth to say something just as the redguard turned around and whatever she was going to say was replaced by her gasp.

"Kithlan!" she exclaimed, she backed into the door. "What are you doing in here? Where's Luthor – I have an assignment – "

"It was a set up" Kithlan explained. "I'm Luthor Shay...there's no contract for any assassination"

"Does Ocheeva know this?"

"I've already sent her a letter explaining that you've taken care of my "brother""

Karja's confused face became even more blank and clueless, her mouth finally said the important question instead of just rambling on.

"What are you _doing _here?"

"Coming to retrieve you of course"

"Did Haskill send you?" she asked

"The entire realm sent me!" he exclaimed, with a proud smile on his face. "In a manner of speaking"

"What do you – what?" Karja found her coherency had taken it's leave for the time being.

"Have a seat" Kithlan offered gesturing toward a chair. Karja blankly stumbled over and placed herself in the seat.

"I'm really sorry to come and kidnap you like this" laughed Kithlan. "But you see you've been gone for too long and there are some matters in the aisles that need…attending to"

"Why?" Karja asked lightly. "What's the matter?"

"Well Bliss and Crucible seem to be in a complete all out war…it's not really funny anymore though, so we figured we'd come get you so you could settle the matter" Karja blinked.

"War?" she asked.

"Well I wouldn't call it that" Kithlan assured. "Anyways" he said clapping his hands together. "We should probably get going right away"

"What – no, I can't leave now! I have things to take care of here!"

"Like what?"

"I have to get a new horse – I have to – " Karja was about to say 'return that damn amulet already', but she realized she could use going to the Isles as a way to prolong giving it back, at least until she found out what would happen when she did.

"Fine" she said. "I have to go get all of my things, though; I left them with my horse at the stables"


	4. The Shivering Isles

The fringe was still in its foggy and damp state when Karja and Kithlan entered. Before she had left she'd used most of her money to buy supplies and ingredients to make potions, since she couldn't afford buying them, and since she preferred making her own anyways.

"So tell me why Crucible and Bliss are in such an uproar" Karja said as they walked down the damp, pebbly path.

"Well…it actually started with the two smiths" Kithlan explained. "They started fighting over costumers, claiming one was stealing the others costumers…and they REALLY started fighting, like, physically…and now they've rallied up a bunch of supporters and whenever someone from Bliss goes into the Crucible they get beaten up or killed, and vice versa…or if someone from Bliss sees Cutter then the other citizens of Bliss will punish them and the same with Crucible…it was really quite funny until people started dying…then it was still _kind of _funny…but not as funny"

"Hm" Karja responded. "Why don't you just restrict Bliss citizens to seeing Dumag and Crucible citizens to seeing Cutter?"

"Well we suggested that but they said that would be too simple…they didn't like it"

"Agreeable" Karja admitted. "They want a show" she turned to Kithlan.

"I can magic myself to the castle…do you have any means of getting there safely?"

"I'll be fine" he assured patting the sword at his side. "I can handle myself" Karja looked upon him with doubt, and then raised two of her palms in the air, Keen and Harla appeared with a swift ringing noise.

"Yes, my Lord?" they both said at the same exact time.

"Could you guys make sure nothing happens to Kithlan on his way back to New Sheoth?" Keen and Harla examined Kithlan then looked back at Karja.

"Of course, my Lord"

The throne room appeared around Karja and she soon found herself standing on the blue and gold carpet before her own throne.

"Ah, you've arrived" Haskill's voice sounded from behind her. She turned. His face was blank, but Karja's common sense told her he was irritated with her.

"Yes…I'm very sorry it's taken me so long – I've had a lot of work to do in Cyrodiil"

"Yes, yes, I know…killing and stealing for money can be such a time consuming task" his eyes bore into hers and she could tell he was annoyed, he was trying his hardest for the sake of the realm and she had spent most of her time avoiding the place after she'd become a god. She felt ashamed.

"I've got to make a living somehow" she responded.

"I've got nothing against killing and stealing but you really don't have to do _anything _to make money expect come here" he said. "Now go put on something a bit more presentable" Karja smiled and nodded.

"Sorry, Haskill" she said calmly before leaving.

It was nearly midnight when Kithlan, along with Keen and Harla arrived. Karja finally sat in her throne wearing the elegant purple and gold dress, as the castle hands stood before her to explain the situation. To her it felt odd…being so high above everyone else, so god like, when mirrored with this madgod was a simple mortal who, like Haskill had said – did not mind getting down and dirty to make her way by in the world.

"It all started when Cutter dropped her prices, word leaked into Bliss and people started sneaking over into Crucible, Dumag caught on so he started offering a free amber helmet with every transaction. So then people started coming back to him – eventually they were both so desperate for costumers they weren't even making any money, so they got into a fight and all hell broke loose…people killing and stabbing each other"

Karja leaned on her elbow and sighed. This sounded very much like the citizens of the Isles: completely insane.

"Well, they could combine their businesses – but the people wouldn't like that either, and they hate each other, so we can rule that out" she furrowed her forehead, trying to think of a way to settle the matter that would be both entertaining and effective.

"Hey they could – "

One of the doors suddenly burst open on the mania side of the palace, Karja's head jerked in that direction and she froze in place, standing in the doorway was a High Elf with shimmering blonde hair, the entire room looked over at him.

"Karja" he said, standing where he was and staring at her. Karja stared at him, his blonde hair glowed in the lamplight, his almost purple eyes connected with hers and for a second it was just the two of them in the room. A particular Golden Saint had a problem with this.

"Your conduct in front of Lord Sheogorath is improper!" she spat. "How dare you address her so informally, there is an important meeting going on I ask that you – "

"Calm down" Harla said walking up behind her. "This is Lady Karja's _lover_"

"Harla!" exclaimed Karja. "I never gave you permission to tell _anyone _that! You don't even know if it's true or not – I've never told you anything like that!"

"I've got quite a hunch though" Harla said, amused. A seducer stepped up angrily.

"You filthy Aureals have so much to say on informality yet you address your Lord like _THAT?!_" she growled.

"No – it's okay really –" Karja started but an uproar began between the Mazkens and Aureals. She turned her head toward Keen who was standing next to her at the throne.

"Could you tell them to please calm down?" she asked. "You know Harla and I always speak that way to each other"

"Yes, but it was a poor decision to do it in front of my soldiers" Keen pondered.

"Keen _please_" Karja begged.

"SILENCE! Every one of you!" bellowed Keen. The seducers and saints both turned their heads toward Keen.

"You can't order us around Mazken!" an Aureal said over the silence.

"Don't talk to our sister like that!" a Mazken shouted, and the chaos broke out once again. Karja sprang to her feet.

"ENOUGH!" she hollered at her quarreling guards. The blood suddenly rushed from her head and the edges of her vision were ebbed in black and the room began to dissolve before her eyes.

"Lady Karja!" a voice echoed, she heard far away voices and soon it was silent.


	5. Thadon

_**23**__**rd**__** of Sun's Dusk **_

_I removed the helmet off of who I knew was the dead Thadon. _

"_By the nine" Camori whispered. "You killed him" _

_Now we'd never find out whether or not Jyggalag or the forces of order had been manipulating him or if Thadon was a real traitor. I looked up at Camori. I didn't like what I saw, was it contempt that I saw in his eyes? Was it for me? Or was it for Thadon. I remembered the first night we'd met Thadon. Camori and him challenged each other as to who could drink the most mead before passing out, Thadon won and I practically had to carry Camori back to the Inn we were staying at. Thadon gave him a job in the court practically the next day, going off on how fun he was. This was surely a man Camori had respected. The worst part was I didn't want to discover the truth about his treachery, I wanted to kill him as much as I had wanted to kill Syl. I dropped Thadon into the water, pulling the duskfang from his chest. _

"_Let's go" I said quietly. _

_I haven't spoken to Camori since then._


	6. Reunion of the Confused

Chapter Six : Reunion of the confused

The court Healer's was the first face Karja saw when she woke up. The next thing she noticed was that she was completely naked under her blankets and her dress was lying at the end of the bed, glimmering in the soft candle light. Of course the healer couldn't be bothered to put her clothes back on after checking her for wounds.

"Could you please redress me next time?" Karja complained, it was comfortable to not have any clothes on and to feel the softness of the sheets, but Karja felt too exposed. She was a person that rarely spent time out of armor.

"There you are" the healer said. "Um…when was the last time you went to a healer in Cyrodiil?" Karja wondered if she had even heard her request, she brushed the healer's incompetence off and answered the question.

"I dunno…" Karja said sitting up, clutching the sheets to her chest. The healing left her feeling refreshed and awake; she looked about the room reacquainting herself with it. "Couple months"

"Almost all your physical and mental aspects were damaged, you're okay now though"

"I kept reminding her" another voice said. Keen walked up behind the healer carrying a glass of water. "She 'didn't have the time'" Keen quoted setting the glass down on the nightstand.

"Where's Camori?" Karja asked. "The boy that the Saint was yelling at"

"Oh he's out in the throne room – your guards wouldn't let any men inside – not even Haskill…nearly killed the poor man until Haskill assured them he was a friend"

Karja sat silent, thinking. Keen felt her forehead, the healer looked at the Seducer oddly, she was unused to seeing one act so friendly. People often mistook Mazken and Aureal as personality lacking tools that would follow every order, but if you had spent as much time with one as Karja had, you'd know better.

"You have to talk to him eventually" Keen reminded her.

"I know, Keen…Harla hasn't gotten off of my case about it since I left…he probably wants nothing to do with me" Karja pulled a lengthy strand of hair behind her pointy ear.

"That's one of your less intelligent statements…if he wanted nothing to do with you why would he have come here, Lady Karja?" Karja said nothing and Keen let a small grin escape.

"I'll go tell him you've summoned him" she walked to the door of the room as the Healer stood up to follow her.

"Wait – " Karja said, but they both hurried out of the room before they could receive an objection.

Karja got out of the bed, wrapping a sheet around her body, her long hair fell down to the middle of her back. She walked over to a very exquisite dresser and pulled the top drawer open… she extracted a long, pale blue nightgown and stepped into it, sliding the tiny straps onto her shoulders. She wrapped the sheet around her again and returned to the bed, where she crawled under the blankets again and turned in the opposite direction of the door to her room and pretended to be sleeping. What would he say? He was surely angry, not only had she killed Thadon with no reluctance at all but she hadn't even spoken to him since it happened. The door opened.

"Karja?" Camori addressed. He walked over to her bed and lowered himself to get a look at her face, she still pretended to sleep. Spending the better part of two years with someone got them familiar with your behavior, however.

"I know you're awake" he accused. Karja opened her eyes and blinked, his hair was shorter, but other than that he didn't look any different. He crawled onto the bed and collapsed on top of her and his lips were suddenly covering hers, the kiss was almost violent…as if he was desperately trying to make sure that it was really her. He affectionately wrapped his arms around her, then pulled his head away, he brushed her hair away from her face with his hand.

"Why were you gone so long?" he whispered. His sudden action had rendered Karja silent and she simply stared wide eyed at him, this was not the greeting she had expected. "Karja?" he questioned. She still didn't say anything and he raised an eyebrow at her; her lips were trembling, threatening tears.

"_Lady _Karja?" he addressed formally and very sarcastically.

"I'm sorry" was all she managed to mutter. "I'm so sorry"

"For what? I mean…you obviously had a reason for not coming back – "

"Not that" she whispered. "For killing Thadon…I thought you would certainly be furious, the look on your face when I -"

"He was a traitor" Camori reminded her, sliding his hand under her head.

"But – you really looked up to him, he gave you a home, he gave you a job…and we didn't even wait to find out if he was being manipulated"

"Before he turned against us…and could we have possibly found out?" He kissed her forehead adoringly. "The only thing that really angered me was the fact that you left without ever saying goodbye…I thought you were dead until I went up to the castle to speak with Haskill" Karja looked away shamefully.

"It just…hurt me…to see you like that after I killed Thadon – I thought I had done something awful" she examined him, taking a small cluster of his shirt in one hand. She sighed. "It's been so long since I've seen you without armor" she whispered.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" he boasted with a sly smile. She nodded.

"Yes" she laughed. "It is…I see your ego has stayed intact"

"No thanks to you abandoning me" he teased. She wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed him tightly. "I won't again…I promise" they sank into the bed together, smiling.

"I'm very sorry about the way my guards acted" she told him. "They're very protective…and I'm very sorry I left without telling you"

"Don't worry" he said, he pulled the covers back and crawled underneath them, wrapping his arms back around Karja's shoulders. "It's just that I really had to see for myself if you were back or not"


	7. A Matter of Perspective

Chapter Seven: A matter of perspective

Chapter Seven: A matter of perspective

"Do you have a solution to our little issue?" Haskill asked when Karja appeared in the throne room the next morning, Camori was still in her quarters, sleeping. Karja didn't have on her dress, but was wearing a grey tunic and a plain black skirt.

"Yes I have, if you could summon the two smiths here I can explain, I think the people will like this"

"Yes, I will send someone into town"

"Thank you, I'm going to have some breakfast – please wait for me if I'm not back in here by the time they arrive"

"Of course"

Flame Stalks were actually a very sweet fruit, their name and menacing appearance often fooled people, but being a traveler, and having to eat whatever she could as food, Karja had had her share of Flame Stalks, and she'd decided she'd have them for breakfast this morning. She harvested some in the conservatory on the mania side, and then went back to her quarters, which formerly had belonged to Syl, to prepare them for her and Camori.

"Are you making potions?" Camori asked, rising from the bed later one once she'd returned, wrapped in a red sheet, and going over to Karja's eating table.

"No" Karja said looking up at him; she forked a piece of Flame Stalk into her mouth. "I'm eating breakfast, there's some over there for you" she pointed to the other side of the table.

"How come your servants don't make them for you?" Camori said, wrapping his arms around her neck.

"They don't know what I like – I should go back to Cyrodiil and bring some more food here"

"Why, you don't like Grummite Eggs?" he teased. "Or _Greenmote_?"

"Not entirely" she replied, thinking of the dangerous effect the drug had on the body, including hallucination, numbness, and heart explosion. Camori released her, and took a seat on the other side of the table. Karja noticed a scar across his right shoulder that she hadn't seen before, Camori had many little scars on his chest and stomach, but this one was rather large and very fresh.

"Where did that come from?" she asked as he ate a piece of Flame Stalk.

"Hm?" he looked down at his shoulder where she was pointing. He swallowed. "Oh, Dumag sent me to find some amber for him, had a little run in with a Scalon"

"You're working for Dumag now?" she asked quietly.

"Not exactly" he replied. "He just sent me on that one errand when I went to go get my bow fixed"

"He's not your friend is he?" Karja asked.

"Well…I wouldn't call him 'friend'" he responded leaning against his hand. "Why?"

"Because my plan was to have them fight each other…either one surrenders or one of them dies, and I doubt either of them will surrender…but I don't want anybody else your close to getting killed"

"Don't worry about it" he said. "Besides, he's an Orc, there's no way she could kill him"

"I've killed Orcs before – but they were bandits, not smiths"

"Exactly"

"Well she's just as skilled with weapons as he is" Karja noted. Camori nodded.

"Not to mention she's insane"

"They'll be here soon" Karja informed him. She had no intentions of rushing herself at the two smith's convenience. She planned on taking a very long bath and perhaps unpacking all of her things, then maybe seeing what potions she could make with the ingredients she had on her.

"Better hurry up then" Camori yawned. Karja put her elbows on the table and leaned her chin into her hands.

"No…let's take a bath first" she said.

"Isn't it a bit inconsiderate to keep them waiting?" he asked, raising an eyebrow and smiling slightly at her. She blinked.

"Are you forgetting where we live? Are you forgetting who I am? Do the people of this place even know what _considerate _means?"

"I was testing you" he assured. "Making sure Cyrodiil hasn't had an effect on your sanity – or lack thereof" Karja laughed, playing with a strand of hair. She gazed across the table at her…'lover' as Harla had so bluntly put. No. He was more than that.

"The things I do in Cyrodiil are far more _insane _than the things I do here" she reassured twisting the strand around her finger. "And what has sanity got to do with consideration – I think you mean _manners_"

"They all loop into the same circle in the big picture, if you're not happy; you're insane, if you're rude; you're insane; I could go on…that's why I left Tamriel, I was everything others did not consider 'normal'"

Karja stood, taking Camori's empty plate and putting it on top of hers for one of the chambermaids to pick up later.

"You were rude and unhappy? That disposition doesn't suit you, my love" Karja said, going through her drawers looking for a bathrobe.

"What about you?" Camori asked a little while later, as Karja leaned her glistening body over the edge of the large, circular bathtub to ring out her massive set of blood colored locks. The bathtub was big enough for at least five people, the water came directly from the pools of madness, so it was very refreshing. "Do people think you're strange out there?"

"People that know me respect me" She answered, straightening herself to face Camori.

"Why?" he asked. "You're not a god there"

"Well, besides the guards, faction heads, and smiths, I have a considerably larger weapon collection than most people. And my superiors, well…they're all a little insane; nobody is really _sane _to begin with. Which is why I don't bother abandoning Tamriel to hide from everybody in this place – the citizens are exactly the same in both places"

"How so?" Camori asked, Karja lifted her arm and rested it on the edge of the bathtub. Camori moved through the water to be closer to her, he lay down against her stomach and rested his head against her chest and collarbone.

"There might not be a guy wandering through Vivec selling sticks, but really – people here will judge you, people here will gossip, people here will stab you in the back. The head of the Mazken guard tried to betray Syl – complete and utter insanity. You can't tell me that doesn't happen in Tamriel, too" her arm wrapped loosely around Camori's back. He listened to her heartbeat, cherishing the feeling of his cheek pressed into her skin, their legs entwined and their bodies fitting perfectly together like pieces of a puzzle. He treasured every moment, who knew when she would leave again?

"Where's Vivec?" he asked with a slight yawn, he was still a bit groggy. Camori was never interested in a certain thing for too long, and had a habit of often changing subjects.

"You're joking right?" Karja asked. "It's in Morrowind – big – _huge _city…that's where I was arrested" she recalled "I thought I told all of this before?"

"You told me you were born in Elsweyr and arrested in Morrowind when you were thirteen, you didn't specify where"

"Still…it's hard to believe you don't know of the place"

"I've never been out of Skyrim or Cyrodiil"

"You still should have heard of Vivec" Karja teased, playing with his damp hair. "I'll take you there someday…next time I leave you can come with me. I won't leave you behind like I did last time"

"Will they let me stay here in the castle with you?" Camori questioned.

"What do you mean? My guards? It's not their decision. I wouldn't think" Karja told him sternly. "Where are you staying? You can bring your things here…we'll go and get them after the matter with the smiths is settled"


	8. A Lesson on Divison

Chapter Eight: A lesson on division

Chapter Eight: A lesson on division

"So I've heard all about you're problems" Karja said, taking a seat at her throne, Camori stood on one side of the throne and Harla and Keen stood on the other. Haskill was at his place at the bottom of the platform on the right side. Karja looked down upon the two smiths.

"There should be a vote on who gets to keep their shop!" Dumag suggested. "And then – there should be a law set in place that you're only allowed to vote for me!"

"Oh that's simply _brilliant _however did you think of it" Haskill commented, rolling his eyes.

"That'll never work! What of the people that want to come to MY shop?!" exclaimed cutter.

"Be quiet" Karja ordered. "I'm deciding how we're going to settle this matter. That's why I was summoned here"

"Yes because god forbid you should pay a visit on your own" droned Haskill.

"You're not helping" Karja said calmly, leaning her cheek one hand and looking down at Haskill expressionlessly.

"I'm supposed to be?" he asked. Karja sighed, grinning slightly, and turned to the smiths.

"You will battle to decide who gets to keep their shop, either to the death or until one of you surrenders"

"Oh that's excellent Lord!" Cutter said excitedly, Dumag seemed equally as pleased.

"Yes, this will be equally as effective as my idea because I'll still get to keep my shop!" Dumag exclaimed. Karja smiled looking up at Camori.

"The battle will take place tomorrow afternoon at the Gardens of Flesh and Bone in the Fringe" Camori told the smiths. The Mazken and Aureal all directed their gaze toward him. Only Keen and Harla seemed to not care that he was speaking without permission. "You may bring as many weapons, armor, and potions as you can carry, if you surrender your wounds will be tended to, if you die your body will lay in the garden – forever."

* * *

"Haskill" Karja said the following night, dinner has just ended, and she still sat at her place in the house of Dementia's table. Dumag and Cutter had attended dinner as honorary guests, and then were kicked out by the guard who had become fed up with their bickering, Karja didn't object.

"Yes?" he asked. He was still sitting at his place in the first chair away from Karja's on the right, a castle hand poured her a glass of wine. They were the only three in the room and she had requested he stay.

"What do you know about Oblivion?" she asked, leaning against one hand and running her finger around the rim of the wineglass with the other.

"Enough to write a book…why?" he asked in his regular monotone. Karja recalled her terrifying dream and closed her eyes for a brief moment.

"A gate to oblivion, other than the one that leads here – has opened up in Tamriel" she admitted. "What came out of it…destroyed an entire city"

"Hmm" Haskill thought. "What did the gate look like?"

"I didn't see the gate up close…but I went close enough to Kvatch to see some of the destruction – the sky was burning and – everything was on fire"

"It sounds like deadlands, the House of Troubles is made up of four realms and four Deadric Princes, one corner includes you – another includes Mehrunes Dagon – he was cast into Oblivion a long time ago – he shouldn't be able to come back out, though unless…"

"The Emperor is dead…the dragonfires are no longer ablaze" Karja informed. "He gave me something called the Amulet of Kings before he was assassinated…I'm supposed to give it to somebody named Jauffre but – I haven't"

"Why not?" he asked.

"I don't want to give it up" Karja confided. "I have a bad feeling about bringing it there"

"Well that's completely logical…the assassination of the Emperor coupled with the opening of Oblivion Gates is no coincidence, whoever it was that killed him must be looking for the Amulet, which is why he gave it to – if you return it to where he told you – the assassins will look there, they won't expect somebody like you, a seemingly normal person to be possessing it

"Mehrunes Dagon was sealed away, but if he had outside help he could get back into the world of Tamriel, the ones that killed the Emperor must be the ones helping him"

Karja took a sip of wine.

"What if I don't return it?"

"I imagine they will find other means of getting Dagon into the mortal realm" Haskill assured.

"How do I stop them?"

"You could kill them" he suggested dimly. "Before they figure out another way, why is a Deadric Lady such as yourself concerned with the affairs of the mortal world anyways? They're not your problem anymore"

"That doesn't mean there aren't people that I don't care about it, and it doesn't mean I don't care about Tamriel either, it's just as much my home as this place is"

"Of course…you can't be Sheogorath without another half" Haskill remembered.

"I need to know more about that too…am I immortal now?"

"I suppose over time you will become immortal" Haskill answered.

"I don't understand, how could I take his place?"

"Because that is what he wished" Haskill said a bit sharply.

"But – I'm not the original, I don't understand how I can be a god, I wasn't created as one I was born a mortal, just because Sheogorath is dead – "

"He's not _dead _you fool!"

Karja shook her head, obviously confused; Keen had told her he was dead, now she was being told the opposite.

"Then what happened to him?"

"He vanished" Haskill explained. "It's as simple as that. I told you, you cannot be Sheogorath without another half. He was split between the madgod Sheogorath, and the semi-mortal being known as Jyggalag. You, are made up of the mortal Karja, and the madgod Sheogorath"

Karja took another sip of wine, her head was hurting from all the thinking Haskill was making her do.

"So…are there two different physical beings of me?"

"Not yet, of course" Haskill informed. Karja leaned forward with interest. "There isn't a need for another physical being until one of your halves wishes for something else than the other – such as Jyggalag wished for order, while Sheogorath wished for madness"

"What does Tamriel have to do with my two halves?" Karja asked, she tapped her fingernails against the table; Haskill peered down at them with annoyance. "I'm very sorry, but this is confusing, and I should know these things or I won't make a very good leader"

"True" Haskill agreed, he plucked Karja's glass of wine off the table and took a sip from it.

"That was mine" she told him, without a hint of displeasure in her voice.

"I'm going to need some"

"Fair enough" she said. "Guard! Get Haskill a glass of wine" she ordered an Aureal who was passing by the table.

"I live to serve, my Lord"

"Okay, you'll make a much more efficient Sheogorath than the last one, because your other half already possesses what she desires, and it does not conflict with the other half"

"What is that?"

"That is Nirn of course, the mortal world" Haskill explained. "Karja wishes for a mortal world – which fuels her desire to stop Dagon, Sheogorath is content here in Oblivion, and doesn't have to sacrifice her madness to give Karja what she wants, unless there is another thing you desire" his eyes drifted towards the entrance to the hallway that lead to her quarters.

"Camori?" she asked quietly.

"He is mortal" Haskill reminded her. "He could be easily killed, and it's only a matter of time before you lose the ability to die"

"Camori is an Altmer, he has the longest lifetime out of the elf family, and I'm not worried about him getting killed. I will make sure Camori knows where he stands in this"

"Good, no worries then" Haskill finished. Karja took a gulp of wine, her hand wrapped around it, making sure that Haskill didn't steal anymore.

"Now how do I stop Dagon?" she asked. Haskill shrugged.

"I suppose…you could find out who is trying to help him and kill them. And only then return the Amulet so the next in line for the Throne may light the Dragonfires to keep Dagon at bay permanently. But it's best to keep the amulet here, where nobody can find it. Nobody outside knows you're Sheogorath, correct?"

"That is correct" Karja nodded. "As soon I leave here again we're closing the gate to the Isles"

"How will you get back here?" Haskill asked.

"Once this is over we'll open another one, but in a different place" Haskill cleared his throat.

"I'm afraid it's not that easy, my Lord" he informed her. "You see, the only reason you are able to commute from the Isles to Tamriel is because Sheogorath opened the gate hoping to lure in a champion such as yourself…you can only make a gate every 1000 years, and now that Jyggalag is gone there really isn't need to make a gate…but it's still possible, if we close it you won't be able to come back for another era" Karja took another gulp of wine, stressed. She mulled over the facts for a couple of moments.

"Then we'll just have to hide the amulet nice and good" she concluded. The Aureal had then returned and placed the glass in front of Haskill. Karja lifted hers.

"A toast?" she asked.

"To what?" he inquired.

"I don't know" she answered. "To…mounting movements" she clinked her glass against his and gulped down the rest of her wine.

"Really, my Lord, I hope you've a strong stomach"


	9. Entertainment

Chapter Nine:

Chapter Nine: 

Karja and her guards cleared out any skeletons or Grummite hanging around in the Gardens of Flesh and Bone once they'd arrived there, afterwards, they let everybody else in. Karja stood on the platform that rose above the main area of the garden, Camori and a small group of guards accompanied her, including Keen and Harla there were two other guards outside of the gates. On a random whim Karja decided she didn't want an audience, not because of the gruesomeness just because she wanted private entertainment, she'd been hauled here for this – it should be _her _show. The smiths, decked out in their strongest armor with their deadliest weapons at hand, stood at the foot of the stairs.

"Camori my dear, please state the rules of battle" Karja boringly played with a strand of long hair that was dangling down from her pinned up and braided mane. She sat on a small ledge in the structure wall.

"In order to surrender drop your weapon and simply state so" he began. "If you try to escape through the exit without surrendering, Lady Karja's guards will kindly behead you – I believe that is all" he sat down next to Karja.

"You may begin" she waved her hand in their direction and the battle commenced, Cutter had a class claymore and Dumag had an ebony battle axe, they went at it for a couple of minutes, Karja became bored.

"I'm not seeing any blood" she muttered as Dumag held out his shield to block a strike from Cutter.

"Why do you always have me speak?" Camori asked. She leaned in and kissed his lips gracefully.

"Because you have such a beautiful voice" she cooed, stroking his hair. "Plus I have a headache…Haskill and I drank all night"

"Oh, look!" Camori pointed toward the battlefield where Cutter was staggering and losing balance, Dumag brought his axe down upon her armored back, it landed with a loud CLANG and she rolled out of the way, springing to her feet and swinging the claymore at Dumag's head, it left a dent in his helmet.

"Uh oh" Karja pointed to Cutter's back, her armor was leaking blood through a small gash in the back.

"I'm winning" Camori bragged.

"We never bet on anything"

"You want to?"

"No" Karja crossed her arms. "Just watch"

Cutter cast a healing spell and Dumag quickly gulped down a bottle of something and lunged for Cutter, she raised her iron shield and kicked him with one of her legs, he stumbled backward and she conjured up a flare and sent it hurling in his direction, it struck him right in the face and he howled in pain. Cutter jumped like a jackrabbit and forced Dumag's head to the ground with her foot, then raised her sword high and brought it down upon the Orc's back; it pierced the armor and ran all the way through, Karja now watched with intent.

"I think she's winning"

Cutter pulled on her sword but it wouldn't budge, she released it and pulled a bow from her back.

"Ha ha, too slow" Dumag laughed and swung his axe, blood sprayed the ground and Cutter howled in pain as her foot was severed at mid-shin.

"Oh dear" Camori stated.

"Nothing a peg-leg can't fix" assured Karja, she pointed to Cutter's hands which were glowing red. A gigantic, Hulking Scalon appeared between her and the Orc, it swung out one of it's arms and knocked the opposing smith to the ground, sending his axe flying and leaving claw marks across his face. The sword piercing Dumag's middle twisted and the blade broke off on the ground. Karja and Camori watched as the Scalon proceeded to beat the pulp out of Dumag, it dug it's gigantic claws under his armor and tore it off with ease.

"That thing is unusually strong" Karja noticed. "It could be a match for Drem"

"Maybe we should have prohibited the use of magical creatures"

"Why?"

"Well if he wanted to surrender I don't think he'd be able to utter the words" Camori suggested pointing down at the Orc whose face was now being beaten in by the Scalon's large fists.

"I think he's dead, my Lord" Keen said, putting a hand on Karja's shoulder. Karja pulled a bow from her back and aimed an arrow at the Scalon. She fired and it hit him in the head, the conjured beast disappeared. Karja handed the bow to Camori and descended the staircase; she paid Dumag no mind and instead walked over to the crippled Cutter. She shook her, and then felt her pulse.

"Unconscious from blood loss no doubt" she whispered to herself. She placed a hand on Cutter's severed leg and cast a healing spell, the skin began to grow over where the flesh had been torn and the other half of the leg ripped off. It stopped after a couple of seconds and Karja sent another burst of healing magic into the smiths body.

"Yeah, he's dead alright" Camori called. Another burst of magic and Cutter's flesh had almost stitched itself back in place but Karja found she didn't have enough Magicka left to finish it off.

"Keen, please heal the rest of Cutter's wound" she requested. Keen walked down from the threshold and over to Karja and began attending to Cutter as the madgod stood up and walked over to the body of Dumag. She cringed at the sight of his mangled face and turned away.

"Flip him over, that's disgusting"


	10. The Daedric Prince of Dreams and Evil Om

Chapter Ten: The Deadric Prince of Dreams and Evil Omens

_Are you going to sacrifice my Empire in the name of a petty dream? _

_**Silence. You fool. How did you learn to speak through dreams anyways? **_

_Ah, I figured you were responsible for this. Are you working with Dagon?_

_**I said SILENCE! You ignorant, pathetic, mortal. I have seen the future of Cyrodiil through the minds of those who plot it. I have led this one down the correct path so far if you care so much about your Empire you will keep your MOUTH SHUT – **_

"STOP!" Karja screamed, her eyes bolted open.

"Karja?"

"The Emperor" she whispered. "He's – speaking to me"

Camori rolled over to look at her, she sat up. Her body was covered in sweat, the sheets were damp and her hair was sticking to her bare back. She gasped, pulling her hair behind her ear. She looked around, she was in her room, in her bed…the voices were gone. She was naked again, exposed. A part of her wanted to pull on all of her armor and sleep in it, why was she allowing herself such carelessness?

"What?" Camori asked. Karja looked down at the sheets and held her head gently in her hands; she gulped down a few more breaths of air. She picked her head back up.

"I was…dreaming" she explained to Camori. He put his hand on her sticky and damp back.

"Are you alright?" he asked. She rubbed her eyes with her hand and yawned.

"Yeah, I'm fine" she assured; she lowered herself back into the sheets and rested her head against Camori's collarbone.

The voice was clearer this time, for it had certainly been the same voice that had triggered her anxiety toward returning the Amulet, and the other voice – was no doubt that of Uriel Septim's.

"What were you dreaming about?" Camori asked softly, gliding his finger along her collarbone in comfort.

"I can't remember…" Karja told him. "People arguing"

"About what?"

Karja slipped from his embrace, she pulled the sheet off of the bed as she walked over the wall, where there was a chest, she kneeled down and the sheet spread out around her like a pool of blood, she tucked one end into her chest and unlocked the chest with one hand and lifted the cover up with another, she dug through armor and clothing to the very bottom and pulled out the Amulet.

"This" she explained holding it up.

"I can't see" Camori told her, squinting. Her twisted over and magicked an oil lamp to life with a small fire ball. The glow caught the Amulet and reflected a small red gem onto the wall.

"What is that?"

"It's called the Amulet of Kings"

"I think you told me about this once" he said quietly as she sat on the edge of the bed.

"I didn't tell you the whole story" she admitted. Camori rubbed his eyes and released a loud yawn. He settled back into his pillows and smiled.

"Well, I love stories" he told her quietly. She set the amulet onto her lap.

"The Emperor gave it to me, he told me to take it to someone, a man named Jauffre…I never did…that was three years ago"

"Why didn't you take it?"

"I had a dream…someone was speaking to me, telling me that something bad would happen to the amulet if I gave it back – you remember the siege at Kvatch?"

"I heard of it"

"Mehrunes Dagon is responsible, and someone on the outside is helping him, he wants to get through to the mortal realm, to do what – I don't know. But I can't let him"

"Well you're a god now, too…it should be easy to stop him"

"No…I can't, I'm not immortal…not yet anyways, I can still be killed very easily" Camori yawned again.

"So you had another one of those dreams again just now?" Karja turned to look down at him; the scar across his chest caught her eye again. Her wandered across his exposed stomach and then back up to his perfectly shaped collarbone which lead to his thin neck.

"Karja?" he repeated, she'd lost her train of thought while admiring Camori's structure.

"Yes" she whispered. "I did…the voice was so clear this time…as if it was right here in the room with me" Karja stood and returned to the chest to replace the amulet, she closed it and locked it tight, before arising and facing the bed.

"I'm afraid I'll have to leave again soon" she informed Camori, sitting at the edge of the bed and facing him. "But would you come with me, please?"

"If you want me to" he nodded, stretching his arms behind his head.

"First we'll need to find a place here in the Isles to hide the amulet"

"Where?"

"I was thinking Cylarne"

"Won't it be safe here in the palace?" Camori inquired.

"No, I don't know whose behind opening the gate, I don't know how much knowledge they have of Oblivion, but this is the first place they'll look if they somehow get wind of it being here." Camori nodded, understanding her logic. She unfolded herself back onto the bed and sighed.

"After that?" Camori asked. "What's the plan?"

"I'll summon Jauffre here" she explained. Camori watched her hand rise to her head and take it's usual strand of hair to fiddle with while she was thinking. "Going there without the amulet and claiming to be Sheogorath doesn't seem like it will be effective"

* * *

"Somebody's speaking to you in your dreams?" Haskill asked when Karja confronted him about her nightmare. He sat in his hidden chamber that was revealed when, like Syl's stronghold, activating a bust of Sheogorath. He was currently working on a new schedule for the guards, Keen and Harla needed replacements as Captains of the Aureal and Mazken guard in New Sheoth, since they were often summoned into Tamriel and were now Lady Karja's personal escort. "It sounds like Vaernima wants a hand in your little game" Karja scanned through her index of Deadric Lords in her head.

"Of course, I never thought of that…Prince of Nightmares"

"Prince of Dreams and Evil Omens to be exact, she must have foresaw the events that would happen if you returned the Amulet, perhaps you should speak with her"

"How do I do that?" she asked.

"Oh, that's right…you don't have inter-realm power yet, Deadra can transport themselves to any plane of Oblivion that they wish…my suggestion is you send one of your guards to give her a message…she can teach you the spell when she gets here"

Karja took a seat at the table Haskill was sitting at. He looked down at his parchment and resumed writing. "How long will it take?" she asked.

"Oh, not long…send that rude Saint on her merry little way, I'm sure she won't mind"

"You mean Harla?"

"Yes, that's the one" he replied. Karja expected herself to become annoyed at Haskill for calling her guard rude, but she didn't, she was starting to think it wasn't possible for her to get angry with Haskill, perhaps he held some enchantment that prevented any aggressive behavior toward him.

"That sounds like a good idea" Karja replied.

"Oh dear, that will never work" Haskill suddenly said.

"Why not? Do lesser Deadra not know how to travel between realms?"

"I'm not talking to you" Haskill informed scribbling something out on the paper, while waving his hand in her direction. "Now get going, you've work to do if you want to save Tamriel"

* * *

Karja walked into the throne room where Keen and Harla were standing in their usual places on either side of the flamboyant chair.

"Harla" Karja greeted, she walked up to the Golden Saint.

"Yes, my Lord?"

"Can you go to Quagmire and tell Vaernima that I would like to speak with her?"

"Of course" Harla replied. "Would you like me to go right away?"

"Yes, please" Karja requested. Harla raised her hand in the air and disappeared in a cloud of red light. Karja turned to Keen.

"Keen, could you ready my things for a trip to Cylarne? I know I've got a couple more weapons that need recharging, I have soul gems in my chest, and please wake up Camori and tell him to go to the Inn in Bliss where he's staying and ready his things as well, he'll be coming with me" Keen stepped down off of the threshold that the throne was on and stretched her arms.

"Will that be all, Karja?" she asked. The Dunmer nodded.

"I believe so" she answered.

Karja was very irritable, she sat in the throne waiting for Harla to return, what if took hours? Or days? What exactly was Haskill's sense of "Not long"? What if Vaernima refused to come? What if she was just some joke on Karja?

Camori had already left in a bad mood to go get his things. "How come I don't get slaves to do all _my _work for me? He had asked grumpily. Karja had then made it very clear that her guards were not slaves and he should watch his mouth. She spent the next couple of minutes mulling over things, planning and plotting. She was snapped out of it when she heard a female voice ring in her ear.

"Ah, you are a lovely little thing, aren't you?" it whispered. Karja's head jerked about trying to find the source of the voice, but the room left her empty handed.  
"At ease, my friend" a female figure wearing a long, flowing, black robe, with blonde hair pulled back into a pony tail, appeared before her.

"You're…Vaernima?" Karja inquired, the lady nodded.

"I'm not at all pleased with your accommodations; you're going to make me stand while we talk?"

"Oh…of course" Karja replied, but as soon as she stood up and request the Vaernima follow her, a glossy wooden table appeared between the two Daedra and Vaernima took her seat at the other side.

"What…did you do that?" she wondered. Vaernima let out a low chuckle.

"Not even aware of your own power" she quietly responded. Karja crossed her arms.

"I'm new to this whole 'god' thing" she reminded the Daedric lady across from her. Vaernima waved her hand and a glass of wine appeared before her. She took an elegant sip and spoke again.

"New, yes" she began. "But you will prosper in your roll as Sheogorath, much more than the other old fool did" Frowning, Karja cleared her throat and straightened herself in her chair.

"I take offense to that; I looked up to the previous Sheogorath very much. Please do not say such things in my presence"

"But it's true" Vaernima informed, taking light to Karja's response. "Your mind is in much better condition than his had been, divided perfectly. One half making up the madness that allows you to inhabit and rule this realm, the other half making up the sensibility and grounding to actually lead a world without leading it to doom" Karja remembered Keen's repeated assurances that she had saved the isles by ridding them of Sheogorath and Jyggalag, apparently she was not the only one that thought so.

"How do you know so much about my mind?" she uncrossed her arms and leaned back into the throne, staring deeply into Vaernima's eyes.

"I have been closer to your mind than even you have, child, I see all of your dreams…I interpret and analyze them and draw conclusions from what I see"

"Fair enough…but how did you know that returning the amulet would cause trouble?" she asked. Now that Karja had met Vaernima, she had her own theory on how she knew such things, she now needed just to confirm it.

"I see the dreams of the Mythic Dawn, as well. They know exactly where Uriel Septim would send the amulet, they know all about Martin Septim. These are things they've revealed to me in their dreams" Vaernima explained.

"Mythic Dawn?"

"Yes, that is apparently what they call themselves"

Karja had been right, Vaernima did not see the future…she saw intentions, which were much more easily alterable than fate.

"I'll give you the name of their leader…for a price"

A price. Of course, Vaernima wasn't helping her because she wanted to; she was helping her for her own personal gain.

"What would that be?" Karja inquired.

"My orb" Vaernima stated. "My precious orb was stolen from me by a wizard named Arkved long ago, it is still in his tower to this day. You can go back and forth from the mortal realm to Oblivion…I cannot. If you retrieve my orb, I will tell you everything I've seen about the Mythic Dawn"


	11. Drem

Chapter Eleven: Drem

Chapter Eleven: Drem 

Karja fell onto a chest and sighed in exhaustion. They had just reached a Zealot's camp – devoid completely of Zealots. Karja couldn't remember if she had cleared out this particular camp or maybe if someone else had. She scratched her chainmail covered thigh and groaned.

"I'm exhausted" She told Camori, who was unlocking and going through every chest and barrel.

"There's nothing here"

"Then I must have been here before" Karja yawned, referring to her thieving habits. She looked at the horizon, the sun was setting. On cue, the fang, sheathed at her side, made a wispy noise in reaction to the dusk, the gem had turned blue and it's powers changed. Karja didn't have to look at it to know that. She and the Fang had been together since her first errand for the previous Sheogorath, even though Karja loved bows with a passion – no other weapon had surpassed the fang's loyalty yet, it had gotten Karja out of a lot of tight spots. "We'll get some sleep and then head out again" she yawned.

"What if something attacks us while we're sleeping"

"Don't worry about that" Karja told him, she raised her hand and with a glow of red light summoned Drem, the Flesh Atronach. He appeared behind Camori so for a few seconds he looked around confused, then clumsily backed right into him. He spun around and let out a small horrified gasp.

"Oh dear" he said looking up at the beast who was at least three feet taller than him.

"Don't worry…this is Drem, he'll protect us"

"Erng" Drem grunted, prodding Camori by the shoulder with one finger and looking at Karja.

"Yes, he's an ally, I haven't introduced you before…Drem this is Camori, please be a little gentler next time" she requested.

"Yes…please" Camori said holding his shoulder protectively.

"So where did Vaernima say this orb was?" Camori asked, biting into a sweet roll Karja had brought from Cyrodiil. He was laying on his side on a bedroll that they had brought along, sleeping on the dirty and soaked ones that already occupied the camp was less appealing.

"In a tower, she marked it on my map" Karja told him. Recalling the conversation she had had with Vaernima, and unrolling her map and handing it to Camori.

"_Arkved himself is nothing to worry about, but there are probably Daedra plaguing the place by now"_ Vaernima had told her. Camori studied the map, taking another bite out of the roll. He handed it back to Karja. She sat cross legged on her own bedroll a few feet away, she stuffed it back into her pack.

"How did she know you had the amulet?" Camori wondered, pulling a blanket onto his ebony covered legs and sitting up. His cuirass was made of amber and it had been a gift from Dumag for finding the amber in the first place.

"Well…the Emperor was seeing me in his dreams, and Vaernima sees people's dreams as well, she still can't figure out how the Emperor spoke to me through my dreams…when he's dead"

Karja watched Drem walk about in the grassy area before them for at least ten minutes before finally drifting into sleep. She slept on her side, with her sheathed fang cradled in her arms, ready to attack if anything should come by. She was awoken once by the sound of Drem growling and opened her eyes just in time to be entertained with the sight of him kicking a Baliwog into a tree.

It was still dark and Karja was practicing with her bow when Camori woke up; she was shooting at a mangled and twisted tree and kept hitting the same thin branch every time she shot. She'd apparently taken a light potion, for there was a large green glow surrounding her and everything within about 50 feet.

"You still tuck your thumb under" Camori observed, looking at how Karja held the bow. She ceased her firing and looked up at him as he walked down onto the ground. "I told you not to do that"

"You said don't do it when making a fist" she replied innocently.

"Well don't do it ever" he told her wriggling her thumb out from under the rest of her fingers. "If you have to switch weapons fast the tension will slow you down. And like I said when you fight hand to hand, you'll crush your thumb if it impacts with anything" Karja sighed, taking an apple out of a pouch at her side and taking a seat in the grass, she took a bite from it and then offered it to Camori. He sat down and took the apple from her and sank his teeth into it.

"I've gotten along fine with my thumb tucked under the whole time" she teased. He ignored her and questioned the absence of her Deadric guardian.

"Where's Drem?" he asked.

"He disappears after three hours" Karja explained.

"But I thought they could stay as long as you wanted if you were in the Isles" Camori inquired.

"No, that's only Keen and Harla because they're physical beings, and are bound to the Shivering Isles, so when I take them out of the place they're bound to they can only stay for so long…Drem is a manifestation, of sorts. It depends on the strength of my Magicka how long he stays here" she explained as he handed the apple back to her and she bit into it.

"Should probably head out soon" she said, scratching at the skin which was under her ebony gauntlet. Karja preferred light armor on her legs and heavy armor on her torso, which was why she had given her ebony greaves to Camori, but kept the Cuirass.

The pair of them knelt behind a hill of rocks a couple of hours later, beyond the rock was a large pool of water with various vegetation surrounding it, and in the water was a large group of at least four or five Grummites. They stood there croaking and looking around stupidly.

"Mating ritual?" Camori guessed raising an eyebrow.

"Not the right time of year…how are we going to get past them?" Karja whispered as quietly as she possibly could. Camori shrugged. "We could fight them" he suggested.

"There are too many" she concluded.

"Look" he whispered. Karja peeked out from behind the rock; two of the Grummite were lumbering off down the hill on the other side of the pool.

"That leaves three" she said. "Can you kill one of them with one shot?"

"With an enchanted bow or arrow and some poison maybe, I'll have to get it in the head" Karja pulled her giant leather pack off of her back quietly and slowly, she opened up a back pocket that held many silver carafes filled with potions and poisons, she rummaged through it quietly until she pulled out one with a black stopper and read the inscription on the top.

"What is that?" Camori asked as she set it on the ground and inspected the arrows she had. She pulled out a metal Dwarven arrow. "Very bad to drink" she answered quietly, pulling the stopper off of the carafe and pouring the poison onto a stained rag and wiping the arrow with it. "It's a little something of my own design, really, made using Nirnroot leaf extract…" she held the two-pronged end of the arrow with the cloth and poured a generous amount of poison onto it. "And Unrefined Greenmote…with Fennel Seeds and Harrada"

"Harrada?" Camori asked.

"Bought it" she explained. "It only grows in the Deadlands" she handed him the arrow along with her Bow of Embers which would set the target on fire. Camori knocked the arrow, holding the bow sideways and taking aim.

"Get it in the head…the poison paralyzes and drains health and fatigue, he'll die instantly" Karja guided. The Grummite then grunted and looked right in their direction, the very second Camori fired the arrow, it didn't have enough time to get out of the way, the poisoned arrow pierced it's skull and burned it's flesh before knocking it backwards into the pool of water. The two remaining creatures screeched loudly and began running for them. Karja rose to her feet quickly brandishing a Golden Saint Longsword as Camori dropped the bow and drew his enchanted Glass Claymore just in time to block an attack from a vicious Grummite. He jumped backwards and slashed downwards at a diagonal at the creature which blocked his attack and spun around, jabbing it's dagger at the Altmer. Karja leapt on top of the rock they had been hiding behind and swung a large arc at the Grummite, leaving a gash across it's collarbone and shoulders, it pounced on top of the rock and collided with her, knocking her backwards onto the ground, she landed with a thump and shook her head, the Grummite bounced off of the stony platform attempting to attack from above, but Karja had already had her sword pointed toward the sky above her and the beast ended up impaling himself on it. Blood spattered Karja's hand as the Grummite screeched and wriggled in agony, Karja dropped the sword and promptly crushed the beasts skull in with her foot.

"Overkill, wouldn't you say?" Camori voiced from a couple yards away, his opposition had been taken care of and he was currently wiping the blood off his claymore with a rag much like the one Karja had used to poison the arrow.

"It got the job done" Karja replied, sheathing the longsword and picking the rest of her load off of the ground.


	12. Harsh Reality

This isn't one of my greatest chapters, just to warn you, a bit rushed if you ask me. But yes, it has occurred to me that I have not yet posted a disclaimer in this story yet.

So...Disclaimer.  
I don't own Oblivion or Morrowind or any of those things, Karja and Camori are however...mine. I'd say I own a pair of quite sexy elves. Teehee. Read on.

Chapter 12: Harsh Reality

The finally arrived in Cylarne by midday, Karja walked up the steps that lead to the courtyard where there were various Dark Seducers roaming about in patrol. She descended the next staircase, a guard noticed her.

"Your Grace, what brings you here on this beautiful day?" she asked, grinning in her direction. The rest of the guards came to a stop and looked upon her, some of them examining Camori with a cautious face.

"I come with a very important request, please, what is your name?" Karja asked. The Seducer seemed flattered, for being asked their name by Lord Sheogorath was a mark of great honor.

"I am Lorbi" the Seducer introduced. "What is your request?"

"I have a very precious item that needs to be hidden, I believe Cylarne is the best place to do so" Lorbi nodded. "Follow me, please"

She led them into the main hall with the gigantic flame sprouting from the stone floor and out through the roof. She walked up the stairs and onto the platform, on a nearby pedestal were many small urns, she lifted one of them up.

"Will the object fit in here?" she asked. Karja nodded, she slid her pack off of her shoulders and removed the Amulet of Kings.

"The best place to hide it would be in the Underdeep" Lorbi explained "We can lock and reinforce the doors - how much at risk is the Amulet?" her eyes lingered upon the shining red stone as she held the Urn her arms.

"Not much, it's hard to say actually…this is a Tamrielic artifact, people are looking to use it for bad reasons, if they take a look in here then they'll head right for the palace…if they get past the Gatekeeper, but it's not a chance I'm willing to take, keep this here in this room, kill anyone who tries to take it"

"I see" the Mazken guard said. Karja handed the amulet to Lorbi. "We have to leave now, we don't have a lot of time left…so please guard this well for me"

"_You're_ Sheogorath?" Jauffre asked, as he stood in front of her throne about three days later, flanked by Harla, Keen, and Haskill. The two guards had taken a trip to Cyrodiil and invited Jauffre, when he refused they rendered him unconscious and abducted him, needless to say he was not in his best of moods. He had been kidnapped by strange creatures and taken to a strange place and thrown open a very strange group of people.

"Indeed" Karja replied.

"The statues depict him as a man…and certainly not an elf" Jauffre argued, crossing his arms.

"He was a man…now he's me, a female, and an elf"

"How did Sheogorath end up in the Imperial City prison!?" Jauffre exclaimed. "I want answers! I want to know what I'm doing here!" The guards seized his arms out of fear that he would attack, but Karja waved them off with her hand.

"I stole money off of an Ordinator in Vivec; I was caught and arrested, imprisoned and then transferred to Cyrodiil in the Imperial City Prison. The Legion thought I would be safer there, you see, since Ordinators can be well…aggressive. And I was just a child, after all" she explained, fiddling with the Staff of Sheogorath that she had decided to show off to the Mortal before her and to further convince him that she was indeed, the Madgod.

"You're not answering my – "

"I'm going to" Karja cut off, arching her eyebrows angrily. She pointed at Jauffre with the thin end of her staff. "I suggest you follow my rules, this is my realm, whether you like that or not. And I'm not liable for any violent actions my guards may perform upon you, so please, do not interrupt me, it's very annoying" Karja found herself sounding more like Sheogorath every day, without the maniacal laughter and jokes.

"Now" she continued. "When the Emperor was being transported he had to go through my cell in the prison through a secret passage, needless to say I lucked out. The emperor said something about seeing me in his dreams, and before he was assassinated he gave me the Amulet of Kings. Well, I didn't return it, needless to say, I had a dream that something very bad would happen if I returned the Amulet.

"Now to explain why I am sitting before you, in this throne, in this realm, _my _realm. The door to the Shivering Isles opened in Niben Bay, curiosity brought me upon this place. The previous Sheogorath hired me to stop a little something called the 'greymarch'. He was killed during – "

"He _vanished_" Haskill reminded her.

"Oh, that's right…he didn't die, exactly, he 'simply vanished' and named me the new ruler of the realm. I then dilly dallied for another half a year, then came back here and decided to do something about our issue with the Mythic Dawn, oh, and the Emperors Lost son, I was told to tell you about him…Martin, I think his name was"

Jauffre stared coldly into her eyes, rendered temporarily speechless. She leaned on her elbow and raised a customary eyebrow at him.

"Do you know where Martin Septim is?" he asked coldly.

"No, where"

"Well at this point he is most likely dead, seeing as he's been trapped inside the walls of Kvatch for THREE YEARS"

Karja didn't say anything at the moment. Instead she sat in silence, absorbing the harsh reality of what she had done. How was she supposed to know Martin was in Kvatch? No one had ever told her that! Unless they had…and she just didn't remember. What an idiot she was. But it was Uriel Septim that had entrusted Tamriel to a fifteen year old! This wouldn't have happened if she hadn't have gotten arrested anyways, if they just brushed it off and gave her a couple of Septims out of the large amount she'd tried stealing…she'd still be sleeping outside and going days without food. She wanted to think that fate was to blame, she wanted to call it cruel and tempting, but a thought occurred to her.

"I know how to find out if he's alive"

"How?" Jauffre asked, the edge on his voice had dissipated a little.

"I'll be right back" Karja told him, then raised her hands in the air and disappeared.


	13. A Gift from a Friend

Chapter 13: A Gift from a Friend

A new plane began to grow around her and soon she found herself stumbling into the ream of Vaernima, she shook her head and examined her surroundings, before her Vaernima sat at a small table gazing up at her, sipping at a goblet of something of sickly yellow color. Karja jumped as a bolt of lightning crashed in the background, illuminating the landscape down a tall hill on top of which her and the other Daedric Prince were perched, the sight wasn't pretty, it was a sea of blood with reptilian creatures tearing human bodies apart.

"What brings you here?" Vaernima asked. "Do you have it already – oh, don't mind that, it changes every couple of minutes" she said, referring to the background which was now fading from view.

"No, I need to ask you…is somebody named Martin Septim dreaming? Is he alive?" Vaernima pondered the question, pressing a finger to her mouth.

"Hmm" she thought, and shot her eyes back up at Karja. "My condition remains the same, get me the Orb, and I will tell you all"

* * *

_Middas, 15__th__ of Hearthfire, 12:34 AM _

_I cannot find out Martin's fate from Vaernima unless her Orb is returned. I'm not even sure if there is any other way to find out besides going to Kvatch and entering the chapel myself, I don't know if people dream when they're dead…I wouldn't imagine, but I've never been dead before. _

_I must meet Jauffre at a place called Cloud Ruler Temple in Bruma when I have discovered Martin's fate. He said he will be the only one there and to come in secret, tell no one outside of the Shivering Isles that I am going there. I had a very hard time convincing him that the safest place for the Amulet was here in the Isles, he wanted to take it back to Tamriel despite my warnings that the Mythic Dawn would get a hold of it. _

_We set out for Cyrodiil tomorrow; we should be there by mid afternoon if we make haste._

* * *

Karja loved coming home to Bravil, even if it was just a short trip to another city, walking through its gates was almost as pleasing as walking through her own Palace doors. But before she walked through them she had to go to Cheydinhal, her only business here was fetching her horse.

"Lotus has been a very good girl" the stable keeper, Antoine, told Karja when she inquired about how Lotus had behaved around the other horses. Antoine was a Breton about 40 years old, like most people…after she returned from the Isles, he asked a lot of questions.

"She tends to get territorial…I imagine she's probably the oldest so thinks she's queen around here"

"So, who've you got with you today?" Antoine asked, eyeing Camori. Karja turned to him.

"This is Camori, I found him in the Isles" she explained with a smile.

"You _found _me?" Camori asked dryly. Karja nodded and laughed.

"Well I did" she reminded him. She turned back to Antoine and seized Lotus's reins. "Well we're on a tight schedule at the moment; we've got to get going"

"Okay then, have a good day"

* * *

Every time they stopped to rest Lotus would whinny and stare angrily at Camori, while shuffling her feet on the ground.

"I don't think she likes me" Camori told Karja, who was sitting on a rock eating a piece of bread. Camori was sitting in the grass under the shade of a tree; the heat was too much for him compared to the cool and comfortable climate of the Isles.

"She just doesn't know you" Karja told him. "She was the same way with Keen and Harla; she likes Harla better though…most people do"

"Who do you like better?" Camori yawned, shooting another random question at her.

"I like them both" she told him, swallowing a bit of bread. "Keen is most useful though, she's better with repair hammers and locks…Harla is a better warrior, but they're both good fighters in their own rights"

Camori suddenly let out a frightened gasp, Karja turned her head in his direction, with a look of surprise and questioning on her face.

"What?" She asked. Camori, wide eyed, pointed at the field across the path from them.

"What is _that_?" she followed his finger, though she didn't have to - to notice the gigantic Minotaur roaming about on the far edge of the field. Karja dropped her food on the ground.

"We should leave before it notices us" she told him, throwing her pack back onto her shoulders she grabbed Lotus's reins and walked quietly down the path, peering over her shoulder. Eventually they were out of sight of the creature.

"Are there more of those?" Camori asked quietly, as if the Minotaur could still hear them.

"They're all over the place" Karja told him. "They're pretty easy to kill, for people like you and me – with fighting experience"

"And for people who aren't?" Camori asked as Karja mounted the steed and pointed ahead of them where they could see the walls of Cheydinhal in the distance.

"They're never seen again" she teased. "Come on, get on, we're almost there"

"I'd rather walk" he replied looking reproachfully at the horse. "She looks like she wants to trample me"

"But we won't get there as fast if we walk, if we both get on I won't have to make her go slower"

"But you look like such a princess from down here, I'm enjoying the view" he said smugly.

"A princess in battered ebony armor on a decrepit old horse?" she retorted. Lotus whinnied and shuffled her feet.

"I didn't mean it" Karja said, patting her mane.

"I think she's trying to tell you she wants to get going" Camori suggested, hopping onto the saddle behind Karja and wrapping his arms around her waist. Lotus took off at full speed the second Camori had swung his leg over her back.

"Whoa!" Karja exclaimed. "Someone's hasty" Camori peered behind them.

"Maybe she smelled that thing that was behind us" he said, looking a tad worried.

* * *

"I just have to go collect some money from someone who owes me, and then we can head for Arkved's Tower" Karja told him, they had rented a room at the Bridge Inn, Camori was counting the arrows he had left.

"You just brought home a chest-full of gold, why do you need to get more?"

"Because I'm here in Cheydinhal and I don't know when I'll be here next, I don't like my money lying in other people's hands" she explained as she tied and knotted her excess amount of hair, trying to get it out of her face. "I'll be back in fifteen minutes" she kissed Camori on the forehead and opened the door that led to the hallway. "I promise"

Karja descended the ladder to the Dark Brotherhood sanctuary once more, no doubt Ocheeva had more orders for her but they'd have to wait.

"Sister Karja!" she was greeted by a follow Brotherhood member, Telaendril, a Bosmer that she had befriended early on in her membership.

"Hello, sister" Karja greeted warmly.

"I've been waiting for you" Telaendril informed her. "I have something for you, a gift – for all of your successful contracts" she reached into a pocket of her Shrouded Armor and pulled out a small leather pouch and handed it to Karja. Karja pulled the top of the pouch apart and emptied its contents into her hand. It was a ring, she held it up and read the inscription on the side. _Ring of Shadows _it said.

"It'll cloak you, not one hundred percent but good enough to get some sneakier skills, not that you'd need any help with that" she praised.

"Thank you so much" Karja said with genuine gratitude. "Now I don't have to make potions for the Chameleon effects, it'll save me a lot of ingredients"

"I'm glad you like it" Telaendril responded happily.

Karja was anticipating using the ring as she walked to Ocheeva's quarters, perhaps she'd put it on and sneak up on Camori and give him a little scare.

"Karja" Ocheeva greeted her a little more hastily than she had ever done previously. "I have your reward, but there's also an urgent letter here from Lucien Lachance, I think he has an important assignment for you"

Karja would have rolled her eyes, but it was not in her intentions to show disrespect for Ocheeva, so she took the gold and the letter.

"Do not read it in here, you must be alone and away from any of the other assassins" Ocheeva explained.

"Thank you" Karja told Ocheeva. "I will make sure Lucien Lachance's needs are met"

_Eliminator, _

_You have served the Dark Brotherhood well in the short time you have been with us. Indeed, the rate of your advancement has been rather remarkable. Now the Black Hand itself is in need of your abilities. _

_You must proceed with all haste to my private refuge in the ruins of Fort Farragut, located in the forest northeast of the Cheydinhal Sanctuary. When you arrive, we will discuss the nature of your special assignment. _

_I cannot stress to you enough the importance of your swift arrival at Fort Farragut. There are unseen powers working to unravel the very fabric of the Dark Brotherhood. The Black Hand is counting on you to prevent this disaster. _

_Do not share the contents of this message with anyone at the Cheydinhal Sanctuary, including Ocheeva, and make no mention of your journey to Fort Farragut! Also, be warned -- my refuge within Fort Farragut is guarded by denizens who will attack any interloper on sight. Get through these rotting sentinels and you will surely have earned the right to visit my private sanctum. _

_Lucien Lachance _


	14. Dirty Business

Authors Note: I believe it's about time to give **imperial-library.info/** and The Unnoffical Elder Scrolls Pagessome credit. They have proved most useful when I needed names or other information and such. They've saved my literary life.

I NO OWN OBLIVION.

Chapter Fourteen: Dirty Business

"Cannot stress to you enough the importance of your swift arrival at Fort Farragut" Karja repeated the words while pacing around the bedroom. Camori sat cross legged on the bed, following her movements with his eyes. She sighed, a tad frustrated.  
"Well, I have to do this…" she finally said.  
"It's okay" Camori told her. "I'll just go to Arkved's tower by myself and get the orb…and you can take care of whatever they need you to do" Karja set the letter down on a nearby dresser.  
"I don't know how long this will take…maybe I should get the orb first" she thought, pressing a finger to her lips.  
"I just told you…I can go get it" Camori repeated.  
"I don't know how dangerous it is in there" she explained. Camori crossed his arms and stared at her back.  
"I can handle myself" he reminded her. She began to pace about again nervously. She didn't like the idea of him going alone; she'd planned on them going together. Neither of them had any real experience fighting Daedra, she hadn't read any books on them and she doubted he had either. On the other hand, she wasn't left with much of a choice, if she wanted to keep a good status within the Brotherhood. Then she had to question whether her status was more important than Martin's life. If he was still alive he could survive another night…right? Especially if he had found a way to get by this entire time.  
"Okay, I'll go to Fort Farragut and you go to Arkved's Tower, I don't know where the mission is going to take place, so return to Orb to Vaernima's shrine, I have that marked on my map too – " she reached into her leather pack that was leaning against a dresser and pulled the map out and handed it to Camori.  
"You won't get lost?" he asked. She shook her head.  
"I know Cyrodiil pretty well – once you've returned the Orb Vaernima will give you a scroll with everything she knows about the Mythic Dawn written down, then meet me at the Silverhome on the Water in Bravil, you can take Lotus – I'll walk"  
"Are you sure?" he asked. Karja nodded.  
"Yes…I never take her on Brotherhood missions, it's too dangerous and she's too old"

* * *

It hadn't been hard to take care of the creatures guarding Lucien Lachance's sanctum and it hadn't been hard to find her way to the sanctum, but as she had told Ocheeva, traps had always been her weak point. She walked up to the Speaker, who was shrouded in his robe and hood while pulling a dart out of her shoulder. She cast a healing spell, filling the area with blue light for a moment.

"I'm here" she greeted.

"So you are" Lucien replied. Karja dropped the dart onto the floor and removed her Mithril Helm and scratched and her pointy ears which had been trapped beneath it.

"What do you need me to do?" she asked.

"I am promoting you to Silencer, my last one was killed while fulfilling a contract, and I am in desperate need of a new one." He told her.

"I am honored…but I know that's not all you summoned me here for" she told him, holding the helmet under her arm.

"Yes, Karja…there seems to be a traitor among us" he told her. "He…or she, lurks within the Cheydinhal Sanctuary" Karja had a seconds worth of fear that maybe he thought it was her, and had summoned her here to kill her – but he wouldn't have promoted her if that were the case. "The Black Hand has known about this since before you joined…so that absolves you of any suspicion" Karja shifted her feet and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"Who is it?" she asked, already knowing that her assignment was to kill the spy.

"We don't know" Lucien admitted. "That is why you must purify the sanctuary"

"Purify?" Karja inquired. Lachance nodded.

"The Dark Brotherhood is an ancient organization. We have survived for millenia. Sometimes, to ensure that survival, drastic measures are required. The Purification is one of the most extreme measures we are forced to carry out. Indeed, it has only been carried out twice. Before now, that is. The Five Tenets are the laws that guide and protect us. But, sometimes, even they must be broken to protect the sanctity of our beliefs. With a Purification, we cleanse the Dark Brotherhood of mistrust and treachery. Those who are slain are offered to Sithis as a symbol of fealty" he explained. Karja had a bleak idea of where this was going, but she didn't want to accept it, if he was going to tell her what she thought he was going to tell her than she refused to accept that was the only way of eliminating the spy.

"In other words, you must kill everyone in the Cheydinhal sanctuary" Lucien spoke the dreaded words and Karja opened her mouth to reply but he kept talking. "Antoinetta Marie, Gogron Gro-Bolmog, Teinaava, Mraaj-Dar, Ocheeva, Vicente Valtieri, and Telaendril…" she felt a sting in her chest as he said Telaendril's name, it wasn't any different with Vicente's or Ocheeva's, she did not want to kill these people. She would not. "…all must die" she barely heard the words but knew he had said them, regardless.

"There has to be some other way" She told him, she looked up and her eyes slipped beneath his hood and tied in with his gaze.

"There is not" he assured, a tinge of sympathy in his voice, but not enough to make her think he regretted this. He was too devoted to the Black Hand, too honorable, to think about going against the Dark Brotherhood tradition.

"If there's a spy in there then it's the Khajiit!" Karja exclaimed. "He's – "

"That's enough, Silencer, I told you to kill, not to accuse. You must not show such disrespect to you brothers and sisters"

"But it's okay to _kill _them?" she replied. "Ocheeva – Vicente – they can't be traitors"

"Do you have any proof of that?" Lucien asked coldly. Karja's gaze fell to the stone floor helplessly. She let her eyes fall once in a saddened and stressed blink.

"No" she whispered.

"That's right. Now go. Return to me when the deed is fulfilled"

* * *

The first room of Arkved's tower wasn't occupied by anything dangerous; there was a table with chairs and silver dishes and cutlery. Had Karja been with him she would have nabbed every bit of it and sold it as soon as she got out of the place. He unlocked and removed any usable contents of nearby chests and proceeded into the next room which appeared bare, but when he looked up he saw that there were furnishings stuck to the ceiling, a mirror image of the last room, perhaps? He walked through, ignoring a chest on the side of the room and made his way down the halls quietly. He turned a corner and suddenly jumped back behind it when he saw a gigantic creature standing in the next room; it was reptilian in appearance and had the head of a crocodile. He slid his bow from his back and peered around the corner again, then knocked an arrow. He crouched down and turned the corner once again, the creature was pacing about making low growling noises at nothing in particular.

He let the arrow go.

It punched right through the creatures head but it still stayed standing and angrily looked around to find it's attacker, Camori stowed his bow and unsheathed an Ebony Short sword that he had earlier coated with poison and swung at the beast, it blocked Camori's strike with it's arm but the blade still left a gash above it's hand. It snapped it's jaws and Camori leapt back and crouched on the ground, his opponent swung at him with a clawed hand and he leapt into the air and brought the sword down upon the creatures head on his way down. He landed on the ground and the creature fell forward onto it's face and growled in anger, before it could get up again Camori quickly lopped it's head off with a brutal slash that took most of his strength. He took a parting glance at the carnage and was on his way.


	15. Purification

Chapter Fifteen: Purification

Chapter Fifteen: Purification

Karja took her time returning to the Cheydinhal sanctuary, trying to think of another way to solve their traitor problem, but she drew nothing but dead ends or inexecutable ideas. Before she knew it she was standing before the well that led down to her next assignment. She turned around and decided to go in through the house instead.

She brushed aside cobwebs and stepped on a couple of scurrying spiders and put her hand on the handle of the basement door. Then let go, she turned around and drew her hand into the air and summoned Keen.

"My Lord" the Dark Seducer greeted.

"Keen, wait here please, I want you to come in and find me if I don't come out within twenty minutes…the password is Sanguine…watch my things." She dropped her small bag of potions onto the ground near the exit, not feeling like carrying them; she had enough tucked into her belt.

"Welcome back, sister Karja" Telaendril was the first to greet her, as she always was.

_Get out. _Karja had almost let the words escape her mouth but stifled them. She didn't have enough time to explain to Telaendril what her mission entailed, and like Lucien had said…there _was _no way to prove she was innocent.

"Hello Telaendril" Karja greeted, faking a smile. "Do you know where Mraaj-Dar is?" she asked.

"He's in the training room" she answered.

"Thank you, I have to see him about something" she walked away from the Bosmer. A large hanging of a black hand print on the wall caught her eye. She felt a sudden hatred toward it, it was unexplainable. For a second she felt ashamed of herself, she shouldn't be angry, she should be proud, right? She told herself now was not the time for inner conflicts, and hurried to the training room.

The Khajiit was the only one in there, she approached him slowly and he looked up from the book he was reading, he didn't have to normal scowl on his face that he usually did.

"Ah, Karja…I've been meaning to apologize to you for the way I have acted recently, you see – HRKR"

Karja plunged a dagger into the Khajiit's chest; she twisted it around and yanked it out before lashing it across his throat. He fell to the ground with a thud. The purification had begun.

* * *

"Well"Camori stated as he opened a wooden door and saw a vast, black plane devoid of any existance except extremely narrow, horned bridges and couple of stone islands connecting them. He tapped the stone bridge harshly with his foot, once he decided that it was safe to walk on he set out carefully, walking between the arced horns all pointing his way, he grabbed onto a couple of them to keep balance until he finally reached the next section of rock. The first thing he noticed was a chest, he lifted the lid and peered inside to find nothing of interest and dropped it. He began across the next bridge. He finally came to a rock with a door in it. He opened it and gratefully stepped inside, glad to be free of the precarious bridges surrounded by nothingness. He could hear the high pitched call of a creature down the hall and prepared himself for another battle. He knew what these ones were called, Clannfears, his adopted father had one mounted on the wall above their fireplace in Skyrim. His parents were Nords; he never knew his biological parents and no one seemed to have a clue as to what happened to them, they'd just found him in the woods half frozen one day. The thought of Skyrim reminded him that he should probably return there sooner or later to let his family know he wasn't rotting on the floor of the Gates of Madness like many other people. Oh, and that he'd be returning to the Shivering Isles and not coming back. And another thing, he was in love with a Dunmer, a race which his family did not care for. And said Dunmer was a madgod, and he'd be living in a palace. He knew his father would just laugh and call him a wildcard_. _His mother on the other hand would probably disown him.

Perhaps it was just better to tell them he was alive and not coming back, they could fill in the rest of the gaps themselves.

Compared to the alligator beasts Clannfear were tiny, but rose to about Camori's waist, he estimated. And he was tall, even for an Altmer. There were three of them wandering around in a room with roots and trees growing out of the floor. Aiming for the head was a futile route to take because of their thick armor-like bones. It was best to aim somewhere softer, which left him with little options.


	16. To Kill a Comrade

Chapter Sixteen: To kill a Comrade

Chapter Sixteen: To kill a Comrade

Antoinetta was asleep in the living quarters, along with Teinaava and the Orc, Gogron. Karja decided the Orc would take the most strength to defeat if she couldn't kill him in one hit, so she figured she should start with him. She unsheathed the Duskfang and raised the hilt above her head, aiming carefully at the Orc's neck. It was the moment's hesitation that had cost her. The sound of breaking dishes behind her and a loud scream made her turn. Telaendril was standing in the doorway with a look of shock on her face.

"What are you _doing?!_" she gasped. "_Traitor!_"

"Get out now - I don't want to kill you!" Karja blurted just before she felt something run through her skin in her lower abdomen, she turned back to see that Gogron had awakened and his hand was on the hilt of a silver short sword that was now piercing her assassins armor and ultimately her stomach, he yanked it out and she screamed in pain. She lashed out at him with the fang leaving a puncture wound in his shoulder. The other occupants of the room had now awakened. Fortunately, Telaendril had run, and the only thing the others had witnessed was Gogron stabbing her. He was the traitor now. Teinaava ran toward the Orc and the Dunmer and Antoinetta pulled the injured Karja out of the way, there was a loud sound of metal crashing together and soon the Orc was slain and the unknowing members of the guild came to Karja's aid.

"Drink this" Antoinetta told her, offering her a healing potion. Karja gulped it down and felt relief in her stomach where the blade had pierced her.

"What would have possessed Gogron to do such a thing?" Teinaava wondered sadly, bending over the Orcs body. "Why did Telaendril run instead of help – " he was cut off by the sound of Antoinetta shrieking behind him and turned to see Karja pinning her to the ground, he suddenly realized the truth and drew his sword – it was too late, for Karja had already slit the Breton's throat.

"AGH!" Karja screamed in pain as something latched onto her arm and jerked about viciously, the sanctuary's pet rat had bitten her, she stabbed it with her dagger, letting the Duskfang roll to the side just as she felt another blade enter her shoulder and exit through her chest. She gasped, a punctured lung? A Fractured rib maybe? Teinaava kicked her back yanking her free from the swords grasp, she rolled out of the way of his next blow and flung her dagger at him, it pierced his armor just above his collarbone, he angrily yanked the knife out but the act had given Karja just enough time to jump to her feet and grab the Fang, she slashed it downward at the Argonian's wrist, the blade flew out of his hand and she finally landed the killing blow right through his heart. Her lips were trembling now as the Argonian slumped against her, staining her armor with blood.

"I'm sorry" she whispered to her dead comrades lying on the floor, she pulled the sword from Teinaava's chest. Raising her arm in the air and pressing it to her breastbone, she healed the wound in her chest and back.

"Explain yourself, eliminator" she jumped at the words and turned, brandishing her sword in front of her, Vicente and Ocheeva stood in the doorway, Vicente had his claymore drawn and Ocheeva had a glass bow in her hand. Karja was about to speak when she gasped in pain as a sting ran up her arm, she looked at the wound the rat had given her; it was blistering and oozing pus. The damn thing had infected her with something. She dropped to her knees before Ocheeva and Vicente.

"I am here on orders from Lucien Lachance to purify this sanctuary – your lives are now forfeit" she said it soullessly, not allowing herself to look into their eyes. "He believes there is a traitor among the residents here" she brought herself to her feet again and finally made eye contact with them. Vicente had a look of understanding, Ocheeva did not.

"I will not forfeit my life to you, eliminator, if Lucien believes there is a spy he should have come here and done the job himself!" She knocked an arrow and aimed for Karja who stared back at the Argonian female, and raised her arm to heal herself further. But nothing happened. Her Magicka was not regenerating.

"What – " she was hit again with the arrow, it stuck through her shoulder and spattered blood on the bed behind her. Karja charged angrily for Ocheeva only to be halted abruptly by another arrow. Karja grabbed the arrows from her shoulders and yanked them out simultaneously and threw them back at Ocheeva's feet. She dropped her bow and drew a dagger, charging for Karja, her eyes ablaze. Karja understood, Ocheeva would not go down without a fight. She was ready to attack when something snaked through Ocheeva's chest and splattered blood on the floor before her. Karja watched in terror as Vicente pulled his claymore from her back.

"If you are not in the condition to kill me I will do it myself" he told her, Karja couldn't do anything but stare, in utter fright, as Vicente ran himself through with the claymore and collapsed on top of Ocheeva. Karja felt the sickening pain in her arm once more and her head felt heavy all of the sudden, her feet betrayed her and she fell to the floor.

Karja had been gone for too long. Keen ducked under the door to the basement of the old abandoned house and walked briskly down the staircase and into the basement, where she found a towering red door with a skull sculpted into it. She pulled on the handle but to no avail. A harsh hiss then filled the air.

"What is the color of night?"

Keen raised an eyebrow. "Sanguine" she answered. The doors opened before her and she stepped inside. The place was dim, lit by torches in the walls, and completely devoid of life as far as she knew. She made her way down the halls, and walked past a pair of double doors, which creaked open behind her once she had walked a respectable distance away. Keen turned around to face a wood elf; she had her weapon in her hand, which was a glass short sword.

"How did you get in here?" the wood elf inquired. "Who are you and what are you here for?"

"I've come for my master, Lady Karja" at that, Keen turned around and began to walk down the hallway.

"I can't let you do that. Karja is a traitor and must be – " Keen whirled around and hurled her war axe at the Bosmer, it snapped her collarbone in two and pierced her neck. Keen took a glance, to make sure she was dead, and carried on.


	17. Infection

Chapter Seventeen: Infection

Keen had to carry Karja out of the sanctuary and into the basement. On the way up, Karja, half conscious, noticed the body of Telaendril and Keen's war axe sticking out of her chest.

"You killed her" She whispered, Keen set her down and pulled the axe out of Telaendril.

"She was waiting to ambush you" Keen explained. "She wasn't going to let me pass" Karja felt her arm throbbing from infection as she stared solemnly down at the face of her former friend. She took one last look at the mutilated portion of her upper body and decided that she'd seen enough.

"Let's go" she tried to get to her feet but stumbled again.

"What did that rat _have_?" she gasped as Keen draped Karja's arm around her neck.

* * *

Back up in the hallway of the abandoned house Keen rummaged through Karja's potions but could not find anything that cured diseases.

"I think there's an endurance potion in there" Karja told Keen, leaning against the wall. She was covered in sweat and her wounds stained her clothes. "Give me that, then I'll go back to Fort Farragut" she told her Mazken guard.

"No, you're not in any condition to go anywhere" Keen told her, she pulled out two potions, and handed them to Karja who drank without even reading the labels. She felt her Magicka regenerating and the pain and dizziness of the wound subsiding. Once she had her bearings, she got to her feet and rubbed the back of her neck.

"I better get going, before the potion wears off." She told Keen.

Keen walked through Fort Farragut with Karja, stopping just out of sight of Lucien Lachance, waiting for her master to return, Karja had grown steadily weaker on the way to his sanctum and was now taking more orders and being rewarded for her troubles. Keen was normally a patient person, but Karja was in pain, her master was sick and they needed to find a healer at once, and this Lachance man was taking his merry old time.

"You don't look so well" he noted. "Did Vicente bite you? You'd better get that taken care of right away"

"No, Vicente took his own life when he heard what I was there for" she explained. "It was the _rat_ that got me – infected me with something. I'm fine though, I'll get to a healer after this" Lucien was a bit quicker after that, but not much. If Keen had her way she'd embed her axe in him, too. He began going on about Dead Drops and hollowed tree stumps, Keen eventually stopped listening and just waited for the end of the conversation to come.

"Don't blame Lucien" Karja told her once they were on their way out of the Fort. But her voice was hollow and Keen didn't believe there was any heart behind her statement. "Besides…I got a new – " Karja began coughing violently and held onto her chest with a shaky hand and covering her mouth with the other. She pulled her hand away to see small crimson spots on it. "…Horse" she finished in a small voice.

"We need to get you to a chapel" Keen told her, putting a hand on her shoulder and leading her down the hallway again.

"No" Karja protested. "I can't go in a chapel covered in blood and coughing it up…they'll know I've been in a fight, and they'll know that I killed somebody. I have to go to Bravil" Keen hated the fact that she had to follow every one of Karja's orders, if she could make a decision on her own it would probably be better for her master.

Karja was barely able to stand once they reached the door that led outside, she was coughing violently, still couldn't regenerate Magicka, and was relying on Keen for every step she took. Once they'd found the horse that Lucien had given her, she tried to mount it but fell clumsily off of the stirrup and into the grass, she watched as the world around her faded to black for the second time in less than two weeks.

* * *

The Clannfear had left Camori with three claw-marks across his cheek but he had come out victorious. He drenched the wounds in healing potion, not bothering to drink it, fearing that the marks would leave scars and ruin his beautiful face.

He plowed through more Daedra, one a gigantic hulk made of nothing but stones that it would throw out and punch him with, when he managed to break the stones apart they would suddenly cling back together and attack him again. He finally managed to crack it's head in half and it stayed down on the floor, a shining stream of grey sand pouring from a hollow in it's head. He gathered it up, deciding to give it to Karja for alchemical purposes. The next door he entered lead to a hall which was splatter-painted with blood. Although he knew living beings had been slaughtered inside these halls and that made him fell uneasy, he couldn't help but admire it's beauty, red was such an amazing color. Perhaps if blood were green or yellow he'd be only sickened, instead of both sickened and awed. Every time he saw blood he thought of Karja's hair, and vice versa, which made him want to get out of this place all the more quickly so he could go see her.

The next room he entered consisted of gigantic furniture. There was a gigantic table, a gigantic bed, massive chairs, benches, cupboards. Camori couldn't help but climb onto the bed and press into with his foot, to see if it was simply a slab of rock with a blanket thrown over it; it was quite real, as it turned out.

"Amazing" he commented, hopping down and proceeded to the next door. He opened it and walked into a stony room with a small pillar in the middle with what looked like a Welkynd stone on top of it. There weren't any Daedra, perhaps he'd taken care of them all. Hopefully he'd taken care of them all, he'd only brought a couple of potions with him and he'd emptied an entire bottle on his face, which now felt healthy and refreshed and hopefully, unscarred.

Suddenly something very cold and hard collided with his right arm as he examined the room, he stumbled backwards and looked around for whatever had shot the spell at him, but there was nothing in the room. Suddenly another burst of frost shot out of the Welkynd stone in the middle.

"Son of a bitch" he exclaimed, the rolled over and pressed his back against the pillar, as he had guessed, the stone couldn't aim in that angle, but he couldn't stay there forever. There were three doors in this room, he picked one and jumped up, grabbed the handle and wrenched it open to come face to face with a brick wall.

"What?!" he protested angrily before he was hit in the back with another frost spell, he dove back into the stone's blind spot and drank half of another healing potion, feeling the effects of the frost wear off. He went for the door nearest the fake one and opened it, relieved to find an actual hallway he closed the door behind him, grateful for his refuge from the cursed Welkynd stone. He was used to the cold, having been raised in Skyrim, but that didn't make Frost spells any less deadly. He stood up and began to walk with his bow at his side; he rounded a bend, then stopped.

"I hate this place" he said, for the hallway stopped right there and in front of him was just another stone wall.


	18. Cured

Chapter Eighteen: Cured

Chapter Eighteen: Cured

"Sorry, no horses allowed inside the city gates – " the Imperial guard outside of Bravil said as Keen rode up to them.

"OPEN THE DOOR!" she bellowed angrily. The guard threw the light of his torch in her direction, getting ready to threaten her and then gasped when he saw that it was Keen, holding the reins of Shadowmere in one hand and holding a slumped-over unconscious Karja in the other arm.

"Is that Karja?" he exclaimed. So the Isles weren't the only place she was famous, Keen thought to herself.

"I said open the door" Keen snapped. If Karja had been awake, she'd surely order her to mind her manners, but Karja wasn't awake, and it was Keen's responsibility to take care of her. The guards both grabbed the handles of the giant wooden doors simultaneously and hauled them open.

Keen knew only of one person that wouldn't shut the door in her face for simply being a Daedric monster, and she knew of only one person that would not ask questions as to what had put Karja in this state. Luckily that person lived only a few horse-paces away from the front entrance. She pulled Karja down off of Shadowmere and hauled her to the Khajiit's door and slammed on it with her fist until the door was finally answered.

"I think I have just the thing" S'krivva said rummaging through a chest of potions. "If not…this one will go and steal just the thing" she pulled out a carafe looking triumphant.

"No doubt it's Astral Vapors or some variant of it if she's not able to regenerate her Magicka" the cat-woman explained, Karja lay on the floor on a bedroll covered with her traveling blanket.

"She's also been coughing up blood and losing consciousness" Keen informed S'krivva.

"Then she better go to the chapel tomorrow, for good measure" S'krivva uncapped the bottle of curing potion with her teeth and opened Karja's mouth slightly, pouring a small portion of it down, then closed her mouth. Karja coughed when her body realized it's airways were being blocked and spit out most of the potion that had been given to her, but she had woken up at least.

"The hunter has decided to join us" S'krivva said. "Drink this" she sat up, pushing the potion-stained blanket away from her and took the carafe in her hands, she drank it in small doses…her throat too sore to chug the whole thing down.

"Thank you" she said to both Keen and S'krivva.

"I have to go now Karja" Keen told her. "It's been three hours" Keen disappeared and Karja was left with S'krivva to care for her.

"This has been happening more often lately" Karja said solemnly.

"What has?" S'krivva asked taking a seat at her table.

"Me ending up sick or injured…it's like I can't do anything right since I got back from the Isles…the first time, at least"

"It's natural at your age to focus on the negative" S'krivva told Karja. "You'll learn to appreciate yourself as you grow; you're still young, after all"

* * *

Camori opened what he hoped was the last door and found himself in a small bedroom, a man in a white robe laying on the bed, and a desk at the far corner with…an orb! _God please let it be the Orb I'm looking for _he thought. He sneaked cautiously past the sleeping man and picked it up, he stared into it, seeing swirling and swimming colors. He assumed this, being the only orb of any kind in the room, was his target. He noticed a door on the near side of the room and walked over to it, pulling it open. He stepped into a small passageway that had a ladder leading up to a trap door, he pushed the door open and stuck his head through, beyond the bush it was hidden behind Lotus was grazing on some grass in the courtyard.

"Oh you've got to be KIDDING me!"

* * *

Vaernima's shrine was surrounded by a couple of followers when Camori arrived; one of them was a redguard and wanted to know immediately what he was doing there. The Altmer slid down off of the horse, holding onto her reins to make sure she wouldn't run away on him, and fished the orb from the sack slung over his shoulder. "I'm here to return this to Vaernima" the statue apparently heard Camori and a voice registered from the large stone being.

"Really?" the voice inquired. "She found it?"

"No, _I _found it, Lady Karja had other things to be dealt with, and so she sent me"

"Lady Karja? You mean Sheogorath?" Vaernima asked suspiciously.

"Yes, Karja was – is – her mortal name" he explained, walking over to the statue and presenting it with the orb.

"Hmm…it looks like my orb…" she examined, all at once the orb was sucked from visibility without a sound giving Camori a small start. "It is! Well done, mortal, well done" she praised. "Anyways, as promised, here is everything I know on the Mythic Dawn – " A rolled up scroll dropped out of thin air and plopped on the ground at Camori's feet. "Should Sheogorath need any further assistance she can contact me through meditation, or come for a visit."

* * *

It was raining by the time Camori had reached Bravil; he'd gotten lost a few times but ended up in the right place. He had a dark red hood over his head and his armor was getting soaked, leaking in through a couple of small crevices. As instructed, he lead Lotus to the Bay Roan stables and closed the corral door, he doubted she was sad to see the back of him. There was another horse roaming about freely beyond the fence, it was a dark Black Horse with reddish eyes. It made him feel slightly uncomfortable, for whatever reason. He hurried toward the gate where the guards greeted him a little heartlessly, it was doubtful that they were enjoying standing out in the rain, and opened the gate for him.

He was slightly disappointed to see that Karja hadn't arrived at the Silverhome on the Water, so he ordered a bottle of Mead and sat down at the nearest table waiting for her. After about an hour and the bottle had been long since drained, he got up and decided to ask the innkeeper if he'd seen her. The innkeeper was a fellow high elf by the name of Gilgondorin.

"A Dark Elf with red hair hasn't come in here, has she?" he asked.

"Are you talking about Karja?" Gilgondorin replied. Camori nodded.

"Yes, that's her" he answered, the Altmer got a hasty look on his face.

"Word around town is she came in badly injured with that black-skinned woman about two hours ago, I believe she's with S'krivva right now, she lives right near the main entrance, the second door to your right"

Karja was awoken by a loud knock on the front door, she let out a cough and climbed to her feet, wrapping the blanket around her cotton clad body and walked down the hall, she could hear footsteps on the stairs above her.

"I've got it" she called to S'krivva.

"Tell them this one will claw their eyes out for disturbing my rest" S'krivva muttered angrily. Karja unlocked and opened the front door; she was a bit surprised to find Camori standing there.

"Camori" she breathed in relief. "So you made it out okay? Come in – it's for me you can go back to bed!" Karja called up the stairs. "I should have sent a message to the Inn to let you know where I was I'm so sorr- "

"Never mind me, the guy at the inn said you had gotten hurt" Camori said as Karja walked back into the sitting room where her bedroll was.

"A rat infected with me with something and I was sick for a couple of hours, but I'm fine" she assured him, lighting a nearby candle with her flare power. She picked it up by the handle on the saucer shaped holder and moved it down to the floor. Camori removed his cuirass and set it aside, shaking bits of water from his hair.

"So did the mission go well?" he asked, sitting on the end of the bedroll facing Karja who was seated at the other end sitting cross legged with the blanket on her knees.

"Guess what I got as a reward!" Karja exclaimed seizing his hands excitedly.

"What's that?" Camori asked.

"A brand new horse!" she exclaimed. "You can have Lotus now" she offered.

"That's great" Camori muttered, making Karja giggle. "So then the mission went well?" he assumed, Karja's smile faded.

"Yeah…but" she trailed off, the memory of Vicente killing himself was still fresh in her mind.

"But what?"

"A lot of my guildmates died, lets put it that way" she told him.

"Really, what was the mission?" he asked surprised, from the little that Karja told him about the Dark Brotherhood, he didn't think they went on missions in large groups.

"Well…my mission was to kill them" Karja confided reluctantly, hesitant to share this information with even Camori. "One of them was a spy, but Lucien didn't know which, so he just made me kill them all"

"That's horrible" Camori whispered, touching her hair lightly.

"I know but - it's over now" she told him, she decided it was time to change the subject and asked him how his progress had went. "Did Vaernima give you the information?" she asked.

"Oh – yes" he replied, reaching for his pack, he pulled the scroll out and handed it to Karja who unrolled it hastily, Camori watched as her eyes zipped back and forth and then a grin lit up her face.

"He's alive!"


	19. Trust

Sorry for the wait, my pretties strokes a kitty I've been doing nothing but writing originals, reading, and sleeping, as of late. This is a relatively short chapter, but enjoy.

Chapter Nineteen: Trust

_First things first, Martin Septim is alive, but I'd hurry if I were you, the lot of them are on the brink of insanity. _

_The Mythic Dawn is a cult devoted to the summoning and worship of Mehrunes Dagon, their leader is a man by the name of Mankar Camoran. The Mythic Dawn take refuge in the Lake Arrius Caverns, Mankar Camoran is not present there at this time, however, and I do not know when he will be returning. My estimation is that he is hunting for the Amulet, and will return when he has possession of it, but I cannot be sure. There are four volumes of a book called The Mythic Dawn Commentaries, these may prove useful, and they may not. _

_Camoran wishes to possess the Amulet in order to use its power to open a gate to his 'Paradise'. _

_This is what I've found out from the dreams of the Mythic Dawn members, I will continue to follow their dreams and send messengers with information whenever I find out something new. _

Jauffre paced about in his Blades armor, reading the scroll, he scrutinized it.

"He can't be alive" he whispered skeptically. Karja and Camori stood before him; Karja's hands met her hips.

"Yes, but he is" she told him. "Vaernima sees peoples dreams, she _is _people's dreams, Martin is dreaming, therefore he is alive. But not for much longer if we sit up here doing nothing" Jauffre dropped the scroll onto the table and pierced Karja's eyes with his own.

"This is wonderful news, it really is, but how do I know you, being a Daedric Prince yourself, are not in league with Mehrunes Dagon _or _the Mythic Dawn? What reason do _you, _Sheogorath, a corner of the House of Troubles along with Dagon, have to be concerned with Cyrodiil?" Karja, a tad annoyed at the man's disrespect, bent down and picked her pack up, throwing it over her shoulder.

"Very well, I will solve this problem myself if you do not wish to trust me" she turned around and walked for the large wooden doors. "Let's go, Camori, there's work to be done" Camori nodded at Jauffre and said "Good day to you" before following Karja.

* * *

"Are you sure that was a good idea?" Camori asked once they were beyond the wooden doors. "He may know things that are useful"

"He doesn't trust me. He has no reason to trust me…_I _wouldn't trust me" Karja told him, tying her bag to Shadowmere's saddle. Lotus sniffed Shadowmere with a look of envy on her face. Why was she stuck with the Altmer that she didn't know when this sketchy, overly obedient steed got Karja? Shadowmere simply lowered her head to graze on what very little plant life was growing here in Bruma, as if to say 'good day to you' as Camori had to Jauffre. "You have to understand, the last few years have probably been extremely stressful for him. It's best if we just prove to him we are trustworthy"

_We. _Camori liked the 'we'. So far, people seemed to regard him as Karja's servant rather than her equal, especially the people that knew who she _really _was. As long as Karja didn't think that then he didn't care, it was just a mere annoyance. The two of them knew, without saying, that there was no superiority or inferiority between them. They were bound equally by the same strengths and values; they had been bound by this since the very day her crimson hair had flown in front of his face to shield him from the gatekeeper, since the very day he'd pulled her from the floor of the gates of madness. Since the very day she'd stolen his potion and he had extracted the spike from her back. Since the very day she'd laid her gentle but deadly hands on his ribs and healed his wounds.

But even so, she was a god, and he was not. This little thread of reality is what brought everything else crashing down around him. She'd told him that someday he would die…and she would not. Was this her way of saying 'I love you but I won't give up eternity for you'? He hadn't bothered himself with this statement. His ego wouldn't let him, of course she'd give up eternity for him. Let her have her fun with being a god, she'd get sick of it. She always did. He found comfort in believing he was really, truly, the only thing she'd hold onto forever.


	20. Martin

...

Oh hai. So um plenty of people have added this particular story to their alert list but no ones reviewing. So if you see something in my writing that you think could use improvement make sure to let me know, kay?

Bai Bai.

Chapter Twenty: Martin 

Karja had her arms spread out on either side of her, and her chest and ribs were supporting Camori's dead weight, she wondered how comfortable sleeping on top of ebony armor must be. She also wondered how on earth Martin had survived this long holed up in the chapel, they must have figured out some sort of systematic strategy for survival, they couldn't have lived this long off of luck.

* * *

The Imperial Legion had given up on Kvatch, and abandoned the sight after about a year of no luck, the Daedra just kept coming and coming and eventually they had to fall back and move the remaining citizens away from Kvatch.

Karja dismounted her horse, her sandaled feet plopped onto the ground and she stretched her arms behind her head.

"Funny…there aren't even any Daedra out here"

"Yeah well I'm sure if there were they'd be coming out of _that_" Camori pointed to the gate towering before them, it was a large mass of fire colored light connected by two great horn shaped pillars. The gate to the city lay wide open, through it, Karja could see the chapel.

"Let's go inside…the chapel seems to be in one piece" she moved across the ground, moving around the gate with caution, eyeing it very reproachfully. She expected something to burst out of it and go for their throats but nothing happened. She turned toward the Chapel once she was through the gates to Kvatch and jogged toward the Chapel. She nimbly jumped up the stairs and grabbed the door handle and pushed it inward, it slid open with a drawn-out a moan of protest, Karja stepped inside and looked around.

"There's nobody here" she observed. "They must be downstairs…" she hopped over the small rise in the floor and landed at the foot of the stairs. Camori decided to walk.

They turned up empty handed, there wasn't a single soul in the Chapel at all. They even checked under the sewer grates in the undercroft.

"In Vivec these kinds of grates sometimes led to tunnels" Karja had explained, looking down, she squinted and strained her ears, but all she could make out was the sound of running water and blackness. She shot a flare into the sewer to illuminate it. "Well, I don't see a ladder" she said, disappointed.

They made their way back into the upstairs portion of the chapel.

"Let's search the city" Karja said, extracting a potion that was tucked from under her belt out and taking a sip. "He's got to be here somewhere"

The absence of Deadric creatures made her uneasy, if they were the reason that Martin and the few survivors were stuck here…then how come there were none of them to be seen? Every building they saw was in ruins and there were skeletons littering the street.

"How come the Daedra haven't opened anymore gates? Just this one at Kvatch?" Camori asked her.

"They must be waiting for something" she answered, she pointed ahead of them.

"The castle, it's intact…they must be up there" she began jogging for the castle with Camori in tow. The main gate to the castle was guarded by a militia of sharpened tree limbs jutting out of the ground, some of them had spearheads or arrows attached to them and even a couple of them had scamps skewered on the end of them. A couple of yards away was a rope, it was tied to a tree, ran across the length of the door and looped through an iron hook and ran straight over the castle wall.

"A trap?" Karja wondered, bending down and examining the rope. She ran her eyes along the length of it with a curious expression.

"Or an alarm" Camori suggested. Karja held the rope in one fist, her hand was steady and she didn't disturb it in the slightest.

"There's only one way to find out" she yanked on the rope and the faint sound of a bell chiming over the castle wall could be heard. She pulled it again.

"Hello?" she called, looking upward at the wall. "We're not Daedra! We're here to – " the sharp and precise sound of an arrow being fired suddenly filled Karja's ears and for a second he thought she was being shot at, but when a couple of moments passed and Karja wasn't experiencing any pain, she looked up. She caught sight of a redguard woman whose upper half was poking up from the stone wall.

"By the nine" she heard Camori say and turned to face him. He was turned around completely, eyeing something, Karja followed his gaze and let out a small squeak when she saw what he was looking at.

The archer had saved their hides, apparently, for their was a dead Dremora on the ground before them with arrow punching through it's skull…an apparently enchanted arrow that had burned a large hole through the Daedra's head. Karja didn't want to know what the stuff oozing out of the hole was.

"Could you get it's heart?" the redguard lady asked from her perch behind the wall. Karja turned around with an 'excuse me?' look on her face.

* * *

"So you've been living off of the Daedra that attack you?" Karja questioned as the Redguard, whose name was Tierra, led them to the door that brought them inside of the castle.

"More or less, we put every part of their bodies to good use. There is regular food kept in the castle but that's just for special occasions" she told the pair.

"You still celebrate even though you've been trapped in here?" Camori said. Tierra grabbed the handle of one of the doors and dragged it open.

"How else do you expect us to stay sane?" she asked. "Brother Martin tells us to live our lives as normally as possible under these conditions, he gives us hope" Tierra led them into the county hall where various people looked up from whatever they were doing to stare at the newcomers.

"Brother Martin" Karja said, stopping, Tierra turned to face her. "I need to speak with him, that's why we're here actually…to get you all out" Tierra laughed and looked at her skeptically.

"There is no getting out" she titled her head forward speaking as if Karja were a small child. "Everyone who makes it to the castle, stays in the castle. Did you notice how there weren't any Daedra on your way here?" Karja nodded, and Camori crossed his arms.

"We've been playing this game for months, they let you come to the castle but if you try to escape the city there is suddenly a whole wall of them waiting to eat you up" Camori and Karja gave each other a curious look, their abilities were about to be tested.

"I need to speak to Martin" was all Karja said, looking back at Tierra. There was a short silence, as the redguard pondered.

"Very well, he hasn't been feeling well lately so he's in bed. Follow me"

As it turned out, the survivors were staying in the barracks, and that's where Tierra led them, she asked them to wait outside, while she went in to wake Martin. They immediately began discussing battle strategies.

"We'll have to get up somewhere high and use arrows, pick the worst of them off –" Karja suggested.

"I don't think they are going to stand idly by and let us look for a good spot to kill them from" Camori interrupted. Karja began digging in the pouch at her side and pulled out the ring that Telaendril had given her.

"I never said they were going to notice us" she told him holding the ring out. "You wear this, it's a chameleon ring. I can stir up a few potions to cloak myself and intensify the effect on you" she explained. "We'll be able to sneak past them until we find a place" Camori looked down at the ring.

"Where did you get that? I've never seen it before" he asked taking it in his hand.

"_Don't _lose it" she ordered. He pocketed the ring as the door opened before them, Tierra came out with a young man, who looked much older than he actually was…which was to be expected, really.

"Martin?" Karja asked holding out her hand.

"Yes…" he coughed and took her hand and shook it. "Who are you?" Karja took her pack off of her back and knelt down on the floor and fished through it, finally pulling out a carafe, she stood up and handed it to Martin.

"Here" she offered. "Tierra said you weren't feeling well, this ought to fix you up" He took the carafe from her slowly. "I'm Karja" she greeted. "This is Camori, we're here to get you out of Kvatch" he didn't have the same 'yeah, right' expression that Tierra had, he sipped from the potion she'd given him and sighed.

"No one is leaving this place until the gate outside is closed" he told her. "Good luck even _getting _to it" Karja nodded and turned toward Tierra.

"Could we speak in private please?" she requested. Tierra eyed Martin, who nodded. Karja cleared her throat as the redguard left.

"Martin, I was sent here by the Emperor" she explained, she pondered for a moment on how to place her next words.. "…you're his son" Martin lowered the carafe and raised an eyebrow at the Dunmer girl.

"Excuse me?"

"I know this all sounds very crazy, but before he died he told me that he had an illegitimate son – you – "

"Me? My father was a farmer, I'm just a priest…besides, if what you say is true then why did you wait three years to come here?!"

"She was in jail" Camori improvised. Karja felt her stomach drop. He was lying to the _Emperor_… or Emperor-to-be, for that matter. "Your father tried to escape through her cell, when he saw her face he realized that he'd been having prophetic dreams about her, she tried to break out of jail through the sewers by following him but the guards caught her…before they did he told her everything. She waited out her sentence and came here" Martin looked at Camori as if he had forgotten he'd even been standing there.

"And how do _you _know that?" Martin asked, taking another gulp of the potion. Camori paused. Karja felt like slamming her hand into her forehead – or Camori's, for that matter.

"I was in jail with her…we shared the cell, I didn't try to escape with her but she told me all about it when they brought her back" There was silence. Methods of punishment ran through Karja's head, she could stomp on his foot or maybe cut his hair to bits in his sleep or perhaps sew his big mouth shut - .

"I'm not entirely ready to believe this just yet" Martin spoke. "But after the last couple of years I will believe almost anything…and I'm not entirely ready to put the lives of these citizens in the hands of criminals…what were you arrested for?"

"I stole some gold – well, a lot of gold, off of a guard in Vivec…but I was starving at the time" Karja explained. "And he was arrested as an accomplice in an underground slave-trade, kidnapping and selling Argonians." Martin looked at Camori for a second with a slight look of disgust on his face.

"Close the gate outside the city and get rid of the Daedra" Martin ordered them. "That's what you'll have to do in order to get these people out alive" Karja's jaw dropped a few centimeters, she knew she'd have to get rid of the Daedra but…

"I don't know how to close a gate to Oblivion"


	21. Into Oblivion

So sorry for the long wait, I've been incredibly lazy the past few months. Enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: Oblivion isn't mine, I didn't make up the game, but the characters are mine.

Chapter Twenty-One 

"An _Argonian slave trader_?" Camori seethed, Karja sat on the floor of a private room that Martin had said they could have, out of Karja's request for peace and quiet while she made her potions. Camori was pacing about angrily.

"You lied to the Emperor," Karja stated. "It was payback." she held a clear glass vial up to the light and swirled it's contents around. It cast a dim cedar colored light onto her face.

"What was I _going _to tell him? The truth?" he asked. "That would have made you look like coward." Karja poured the contents into a carafe and pushed a cork into the top.

"Maybe I am a coward for not coming here sooner." Karja suggested, digging back into her pack of ingredients. Camori snorted and plopped down on a bed.

"Still doesn't give you an excuse to degrade me like that" he muttered. "I _am _helping you close that gate" the sound of ingredients being mashed into bits filled the room.

"I'm not forcing you into anything." Karja reminded him, but she knew even if she ordered him to return to the Isles for his own safety he wouldn't do it. "Which brings us to our next issue…how does one close a gate to Oblivion?" Camori shrugged from the bedside and collapsed onto his back. "…wonder if Vaernima knows anything." She pondered quietly, wiping the stains from her fingers on a nearby cloth.

Camori decided now was a good time to speak his opinion. He sat back up, almost as quickly as he'd dropped down onto the mattress.

"How do you know you can trust her?" he wondered, Karja looked up from the task at hand, blankly.

"She has no reason to lie to me." She responded. Camori ran his fingers through his hair, a tad frustrated.

"_Unless _she was helping Dagon…" Camori put forward, and then sat in silence waiting for Karja to reply.

"She has no reason to help him."

"How do you know that?" Camori stood up, and began pacing again. Karja continued to stir and chop and mix ingredients.

"I just know, okay?" she assured. "If you're worried about your safety you can always return to the Isles and wait for me."

"No, I can't do that." He plopped on the floor across the alchemy set from her. She reached over the apparatuses and touched his cheek.

"Then trust me." she said quietly. He closed his eyes, placing his hand on top of hers. He reopened his eyes after a couple of moments spent in silence.

"You're putting the Isles at risk by doing this, you know…Dagon could attack the Isles too, if he finds you interfered."

"We'll worry about that if and when it happens." Her voice was soft, but her eyes left no room for argument, it was her realm, it was her decision.

"I can't choose between Tamriel and the Isles." Karja explained. "Because I can't live without either of them…not peacefully anyways. You see, there are always two sides to Sheogorath, one side wants one thing and the other side wants another. I was born a mortal, so half of me wants a mortal world, my immortal half wants madness and nothing but madness. So far both of them are satisfied, if Tamriel gets taken away my other half will want something else…depending on what it is the results of wanting something you don't have can be very catastrophic for Sheogorath. I could end up with an altar ego that wants to destroy my realm." Camori couldn't see his face, but he was sure he looked struck with confusion, for Karja let out a small giggle and pulled her hand away from his cheek.

"Well, I'm going to take your word for all that. But I do have a question."

"What's that?" she asked.

"Which half are you speaking from right now?" she took a moment to think about the question, she opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it, to think some more.

"I've never really given it any thought…it's just…me. The halves don't really become specific unless they need to…I don't think…"

"An interesting question Indeed…" Vaernima said, pacing about a room with blood spattered on the walls and bones strewn about the floor, the distant sound of screaming could be heard. "There is an anchor that holds the Oblivion gate to Tamriel, they all look different…so I couldn't tell you what the one for the Deadlands looks like…oh, and they have great magical properties if you happen to get your hands on one." Karja tried to tune the screaming about. The lightning flashed and the atmosphere changed again, this time they were in a graveyard, Vaernima was seated in a large stone throne. There were zombies roaming about and the smell rotting and decaying flesh was so potent Karja had to bring her arm to her face.

"First of all." She started. "Does this place ever show anything relatively…nice?"

"No." Vaernima answered. "This is the realm of nightmares after all."

"Second…this anchor…does it stand out at all?"

"Oh I'm sure it does…" she answered, trailing off. "But if you've ever been to the Deadlands you'd know that _everything _stands out. In a sick…gory kind of way."

"Then how am I supposed to _find _it?" Karja pondered, pacing about in front of Vaernima.

"Oh come now, don't be so thick. I'm sure it can't be _that _hard to find, even if it does blend in do you think it'll be left unguarded? When you see something strange surrounded by bloodthirsty Deadric guards I'm sure you'll have found your anchor."

"Wonderful." Karja muttered.

Most of the Daedra were relatively stupid, so it was easy to plow them down under an invisibility enchantment. It was the Dremora who weren't so easy, they were clever, and they had weapons, not just teeth and spells.

The pair of them were holding their ground in front of a burned down shop, multiple times they were almost rolled off their feet by skulls and the like. There were two Dremora opposing them. One was standing off in the background firing arrows and the other was going head to head with it's Dunmer adversary. Camori was battling the archer from a distance, while Karja tried to pierce the weak spot in it's armor, she was knocked backwards with a glass battleaxe, she scrambled, gathering her legs beneath her. She conjured a sloppy fireball and aimed for her enemy's face. She was suddenly jerked to the ground again as an arrow pierced her side, just barely making it past the armor and puncturing the skin. She looked up in time to see the bloodthirsty hammer coming after her, she rolled out of the way, in turn snapping the arrow and irritating it further into her skin. She groaned in pain but managed herself to her feet once again. The battle continued for at least ten more minutes, Karja finally struck a blow to the Dremora's head with her Duskfang, freezing it's skin and crushing it's skull. Camori was bent over the Dremora bowman looking for anything to salvage. Karja healed some of her wounds as she proceeded to his side.

"Find anything?" she asked, extracting a healing potion.

"Just my arrows." He answered.

"Well." Karja turned her head. "There it is." Camori redirected his gaze to the large infernal gate just behind the obliterated city entrance. They stared reluctantly at the malevolent looking doorway to Oblivion.


End file.
